Brief aan Willem Bogtman 1923

Editor: We're looking at "Brief aan Willem Bogtman" by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, created in 1923. It's a pen and ink drawing on paper, and honestly, the handwriting gives it a really intimate, personal feel, like we're peeking at a private thought. What do you make of this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, a letter. There's something profoundly touching about handwritten correspondence in our digital age, isn’t there? It’s more than just a message; it's a time capsule of thought and intention. Roland Holst, a master of so many things – stained glass, typography, social commentary – approaches this letter with such delicate artistry. He invites us not just to read the words but to witness the dance of his mind as the pen meets the page. See how the loops and strokes vary, expressing emotion, I almost feel, more than meaning. It reminds me, have you ever felt like writing a letter, a physical letter, poured out a bit of yourself with the ink, knowing it might be kept, pondered over, a piece of you traveling to another? Editor: That's beautifully put! It's true, a text is so different. Is there a reason the handwriting seems so… deliberate, almost stylized? Curator: That’s the touch of the master calligrapher at play. Holst saw lettering as an art form, not merely a functional tool. Even in what seems a casual letter, there's an attention to form and rhythm. The influence of expressionism adds to the appeal – but the letter… well, does the message really matter more than the act of its making? I sometimes think we lose sight of that in our relentless pursuit of information. Editor: I never thought about it that way, but I can see it now. I came looking for meaning, but it's about the form itself being meaningful. Thanks! Curator: And thank you! For reminding me that even in the simplest form, art's purest spirit dwells: to connect, to provoke, and perhaps, to inspire a lost art of handwritten musings once more.