Krabbels voor vignetten in schetsblok met drie bladen c. 1930 - 1940

Curator: Allow me to introduce you to Leo Gestel's "Krabbels voor vignetten in schetsblok met drie bladen," a graphic piece made sometime between 1930 and 1940, here at the Rijksmuseum. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It feels industrial, yet restrained. The stylized plumes rising from what appear to be factory smokestacks, combined with that very bold Art Deco lettering... There's a tension between progress and potential pollution, even decay. Curator: That’s a compelling reading. Formally, I’m drawn to the stark contrast between the blacks, whites and muted oranges; see how it compartmentalizes the plane? And how the repetition of geometric forms creates rhythm. Note also the pasted-on sketch containing textual scrawls that complicate Gestel's design. Editor: And considering the social landscape of Amsterdam during that time, burgeoning with industry yet wrestling with societal shifts, one can imagine how this graphic serves to promote but simultaneously calls into question industry and the brand, Winter. The text even reveals how these shapes serve a functional and commercial end as "krabbels voor vignetten"—or, in English, scribbles for vignettes. Curator: True, the text reveals insight into artistic labor. Let us observe further the deliberate cropping, the flattening of space, the interplay between positive and negative forms; the piece's inherent functionality merges with abstract design principles. It reduces objects and lettering to their barest essence. Editor: And to take your point, we are invited to contemplate how commerce exploits the labor of many in contributing to atmospheric decay, masking under attractive geometric designs. One might ponder how such images contribute to public visual and cultural grammars, particularly given their prevalence during periods marked by class divisions and economic change. Curator: An artwork of deceptively simple construction then. Editor: Indeed, there's so much here within such concise, graphic form.