Ontwerp voor een datum- en opdrachtblad van een oorkonde voor N.C. Smith 1910

This is Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries' "Ontwerp voor een datum- en opdrachtblad van een oorkonde voor N.C. Smith," an ink and watercolor design on paper. The color palette is restrained, almost faded, but so deliberately placed. It's like he’s feeling his way through it, letting the composition emerge as he goes. I’m struck by the ornate border surrounding the dates and handshake. The delicate swirls and floral motifs remind me of Art Nouveau, but there's also something uniquely personal about them, like a secret language or a forgotten dream. The paper itself has a warmth to it, that handmade feel. It's so interesting to imagine how that one small mark of color builds the whole story, and how the relationship between the marks changes with time. De Vries' graphic style feels in conversation with the work of Hilma af Klint; both were interested in visualising spiritual and philosophical ideas. The drawing reminds us that art is always an ongoing dialogue, an exchange of ideas across time and space.