Briefkaart aan Willem Bogtman before 1923

This is a postcard by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, a simple paper rectangle that once traveled through the mail. It’s funny, when you look closely at something like this, you realize it’s all about touch. You can almost feel the pressure of the pen as it scratched out the address, the ink bleeding ever so slightly into the paper. I love how the artist uses this dark, almost frantic handwriting, in such contrast to the blank, creamy space of the card itself. It’s like a secret language being whispered across a distance. Even the cancellation stamps, those bureaucratic blots, add a layer of texture and history. You know, art isn’t just about pretty pictures; it’s about traces and memories, and this little card is full of them. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly’s scrawls, how a simple gesture can hold so much feeling. It’s like a conversation, a little secret passed between friends, and we’re lucky enough to eavesdrop.