Prentbriefkaart aan Marisa Quanjer Possibly 1937

Curator: Here we have a fascinating peek into a private moment—a postcard, likely from 1937, penned by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst and addressed to Marisa Quanjer. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has such a delicate, personal feel! It's almost as though you are holding the artist’s secrets, penned across time and space, a gossamer thought manifested in ink on a paper rectangle. Curator: Precisely. As a material artifact, it invites consideration. The type of ink used, the texture of the paper itself—a tangible connection to the means of artistic production of the time, and its reliance on postal systems. The small blue Netherlands stamp also whispers secrets of commerce. Editor: The handwriting alone is telling. It's less about conveying pristine information, more like a glimpse into Holst's inner workings. Did he rush it? Was he at peace when he wrote it? Every loop and flourish feels loaded. It hints at the performative intimacy present with calligraphic penmanship. Curator: The very act of writing is of interest here. Unlike the slick ease of modern communication, postcards meant labour and waiting. And there is labour etched on its very surface; that of the sender's manual effort and that of those facilitating distribution and ultimately its consumption by Quanjer. Editor: This feels deeply relational to me; like capturing a fleeting moment, a tiny, tangible breadcrumb of connection from Holst to Quanjer through space and time. There's something profoundly vulnerable and beautiful about that. It is intimate. It whispers promises of untold secrets. Curator: Absolutely, the card itself is testament to the network of connections surrounding Roland Holst and his work, emphasizing both artistic and economic material conditions. That is its unique significance. Editor: To think such simple materiality could still hold such magic and mystery almost a century later...