Man, vrouw en kind - Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel

A refined Art Nouveau lithograph by Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel, featuring a symmetrical composition of a man, woman, and child rendered in clean, geometric lines.

This lithograph by Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel displays the stylistic hallmarks of the Dutch Art Nouveau period, often referred to as Nieuwe Kunst. De Bazel, a prominent architect and designer, applied a disciplined, geometric approach to his graphic work. The composition is contained within a rigid rectangular frame, featuring a man and a woman in profile, their faces meeting above a central child figure. The figures are rendered with clean, simplified outlines that reject the excessive ornamentation found in other European iterations of the style.

The work reflects a preoccupation with symmetry and symbolic harmony. The upper border features a chequered pattern, while the base is defined by a series of vertical lines, providing a structured contrast to the organic curves of the human forms. The figures are depicted with a serene, almost meditative quality, typical of the artist's interest in Theosophy and spiritual geometry. By stripping away unnecessary detail, De Bazel directs the viewer toward the essential relationship between the three subjects.

As a practitioner of the Nieuwe Kunst movement, De Bazel sought to integrate design with social and moral purpose. This print demonstrates his ability to balance decorative elements with a clear, legible narrative. The stark contrast between the black ink and the paper surface emphasises the graphic quality of the medium. This piece is a representative example of the Dutch approach to the turn-of-the-century aesthetic, where clarity of form and structural integrity were prioritised over naturalistic representation. The work remains a study in balance, both in its physical composition and its thematic content, capturing a moment of domestic stillness through a highly controlled, modern lens.