Blad 3 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel I (1921-1929) Possibly 1921 - 1929

This is page three from a student register created in The Hague sometime between 1921 and 1929. The whole thing is an incredible feat of organization, each entry meticulously ruled and filled with looping cursive. My eye's drawn to a signature, maybe the fourth one down? The way the capital letters of the name have been emphasized feels so expressive; there’s a real sense of confidence, pride, and careful intent in the way the letters have been put on the page. Thinking about the way handwriting reveals the personality of the writer reminds me of Cy Twombly's scrawled gestures, though of course his are huge and gestural on a big canvas, and these marks are small and controlled within the rigid framework of a bureaucratic form. Even though these are very different, they share a similar emotional intensity and spontaneity. Art and bureaucracy, seemingly so different, both tell their stories in ink.