Bedankkaart aan de directie van het Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 1948

This card was made in December 1948, and it’s a printed note of thanks to the Directors of the Rijksmuseum. It’s anonymous, like a lot of great art. The texture here is all in the details. The paper, probably cream or off-white, has a matte finish that soaks up the light. The ink is dense, but not glossy, and the letterforms are clean and precise, like a well-oiled machine. Look at the capital letters, and notice the subtle variations in the weight of the lines. It almost looks like it’s hand-lettered. There’s an evenness to it, a kind of cool, understated elegance. It reminds me of some of the minimalist conceptual artists like On Kawara, who used the simple act of marking time as a way to explore ideas about mortality and existence. This card too, in its own way, is a meditation on loss and remembrance. But it also speaks to the power of collective action. It’s a reminder that art is not just about individual expression, but about community.