Brief aan Joop Sjollema Possibly 1938

This letter to Joop Sjollema was written in 1938 by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. You can see how the pen has traveled across the page, leaving a trail of delicate, looping marks. I imagine Holst carefully forming each word, his thoughts flowing onto the paper in a steady stream. What was he hoping to communicate? Was he sharing a moment of joy, or perhaps seeking solace in a difficult time? The gentle strokes of ink convey a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, like a whispered secret between friends. The letter's aged surface reminds me of how artists are in an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Think of painting, like writing, as an embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and allowing for multiple interpretations. I wonder what Sjollema made of it all.