Briefkaart aan Willem Bogtman before 1923

This postcard was sent to Willem Bogtman by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst in 1923. Look at that inky, fluid handwriting! It reminds me of Cy Twombly, or even some of the automatic writing experiments the Surrealists were into. There's something so intimate about seeing someone's personal communication like this. The texture of the card, the stamp, the postmark...they all speak of a specific moment in time, a connection between two people. I wonder what they were talking about, what was going on in their lives back then? I notice the way the ink pools in certain areas, creating a subtle relief. It's almost sculptural. And the way the letters tilt and lean, as if they're dancing across the page. It makes me think about the performative aspect of writing, how the act of putting pen to paper can be a kind of choreography. Like the Dadaists, Roland Holst seems to embrace chance and spontaneity. This little card feels like a portal, connecting us to the past in a very tangible way.