Prentbriefkaart aan Ab Bogtman before 1937

This is Prentbriefkaart aan Ab Bogtman, a postcard made by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. Holst is clearly interested in the Queen Mathilda Tapestry, but also in the art of reproduction and communication, and like me, in the relationship between art, craft, and labour. I love the way he captures the texture of the original tapestry through the simple hatching of the printing process. The neutral palette gives it a sense of being historical and timeless, like it could have been made at any point in the last few centuries. It reminds me of how a sculptor friend of mine once described carving: it is as much about taking away as it is about adding. I especially love how he uses the cross hatching to create the chainmail armour in a really vivid way. You can imagine the violence and movement of the battle. This really speaks to the idea of art as conversation; Holst is in dialogue with the original tapestry makers, and with us. We’re all implicated in the act of seeing and making.