Annotaties 1880

These annotations by Louis Apol, held at the Rijksmuseum, may seem at first glance like a mere collection of notes, yet they pulse with hidden life. Words and numbers float across the surface, each carrying a weight of meaning rooted in Apol's artistic practice. Consider the act of annotation itself. Like ancient scholars illuminating sacred texts, Apol imbues these sketches with layers of interpretation. The annotations, filled with what appear to be notes on the landscape, act like memory palaces where each entry bears traces of artistic ideas. These traces are similar to the "energram"—a concept that describes how experiences, perceptions, and impressions are preserved in memory and can be reactivated by associated stimuli. Apol's notations, in their fragmented, seemingly chaotic nature, invite us to a world of subjective experience, capturing the artist's inner workings.