Blad 41 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel I (1921-1929) Possibly 1926

This register page from a Colonial School for Girls and Women in The Hague, dating from the 1920s, is covered in inscriptions, signatures, and photographs. It’s a record, sure, but also kind of like a drawing. I can almost imagine the hand that made this page, carefully laying out the information, choosing the right words, and lining everything up in rows. Think of the weight of the pen or the scratch of the nib on the page. Even the pressure of the pen on the paper gives a sense of personality, it’s as if the page has come alive, vibrating with the thoughts and feelings of the people involved. I see the sepia tone and the careful handwriting, and I think of other artists who work with memory and history like Gerhard Richter or even Félix González-Torres. How cool it is that artists and makers are in an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting, in particular, is a form of embodied expression that embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations, and meaning over time.