Briefkaart aan Willem Bogtman before 1926

This is a postcard made by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, but when exactly, is a bit of a mystery. It’s all about the handwritten here. The dark ink on the pale cardstock. The way some strokes are thick, others whisper-thin. See how the handwriting slants, a bit unruly, yet determined? You can almost feel the pen scratching across the surface, like he’s in a hurry. The stamps, those small, colorful squares, add another layer. They are like tiny paintings, framed by the postal stamp. Everything is about the surface texture and the physicality of ink on paper. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, actually. Both artists share this love of the expressive line, the kind that feels both spontaneous and deeply considered. Artmaking is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. There are no definitive meanings. We all bring ourselves to the artwork.