Prentbriefkaart aan Willem Bogtman Possibly 1929

Curator: It feels like stepping into sepia dream... ethereal and slightly haunting. What do you make of this unusual vista, Editor? Editor: A sort of melancholy hangs over this piece. It reminds me of old photographs I’d find tucked away in my grandmother’s attic. Bittersweet. Curator: This intriguing work is titled “Prentbriefkaart aan Willem Bogtman,” and it’s attributed to Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. It seems to date back to around 1929, and we believe it involves a photographic print, and maybe some hand-applied coloring, perhaps watercolor. Editor: Hand-coloring—that makes sense! It has that gentle, almost watercolour-like quality, blurring the lines between photography and something more painterly. And it’s clearly a landscape... though twisted, almost as if gravity decided to take a nap that day. I imagine he has captured the region of Lake Lugano here, Italy, perharps as a personalized and loving postcard. Curator: That perspective, tilting and framing the natural scenery, could speak to a period grappling with shifting viewpoints, or, dare I say, the rise of new ways to perceive and interpret reality—not unlike photography itself. Editor: True! Photography disrupted everything. What’s fascinating, though, is the inclusion of a tree... this organic framing. It humanizes the vast landscape, giving us something familiar to latch onto amidst the shifting ground. Do you think the landscape here represents an exploration or inner quest? Curator: Interesting question. It brings to my mind an old symbolic trope. The tree could certainly serve as a visual shorthand for personal growth, even life itself, juxtaposed against the timeless, monumental quality of the lake and distant mountains... suggesting a bridging of human life against geological timeframes and vast horizons. Editor: The inscription makes me curious as well - like finding someone’s personal note from so long ago, offering us an unintended invitation into their secret memories. Well, thank you Roland Holst. Curator: Indeed, an image with depth and evocative details. Let's proceed and appreciate even further its rich tapestry.