Brief aan Richard Roland Holst Possibly 1923

This letter, to Richard Roland Holst, was made by Willem Bogtman, probably sometime around when it was written in 1923. Look at the way the faded typewriter ink sits on the page, each letter a tiny, insistent mark. It’s almost like a drawing, isn't it? I’m drawn to the textures here. The slightly uneven pressure of the keys, the way the ink bleeds a tiny bit into the paper, and the way the paper discolors towards the edges. Each imperfection tells a story. See how the crisp lines of the typed words contrast with the soft aging of the paper. It reminds me that even the most mechanical processes have an element of chance. This reminds me of the letters of Agnes Martin, themselves a form of artwork - the materiality of the correspondence and the personal connection implicit in the exchange. I think art is always an ongoing conversation, with each artist building on the ideas of those who came before. And sometimes, the most profound statements are found in the simplest forms.