Brief aan Willem Bogtman Possibly 1935 - 1938

This is a letter to Willem Bogtman made with ink on paper by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. The writing is dense, full of energy, and almost feels like a drawing in itself. You can see the hand of the artist so clearly here. Look at how the ink bleeds slightly into the paper, creating a halo around the letters. It gives the words a kind of weight, a presence. It's not just information being conveyed; it's a record of a moment, a feeling. The dark ink against the pale paper creates a stark contrast, heightening the sense of intimacy. You can imagine the artist hunched over the page, lost in thought, the pen moving quickly across the surface. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly, how he made writing into a kind of abstract expressionism. Holst is also using the act of writing as a way of exploring his own inner world. Art is like a conversation across time, with each artist responding to those who came before. It’s never about having the final word.