Briefkaart aan Willem Bogtman before 1926

This postcard to Willem Bogtman, made by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, is covered in handwriting that performs, dances, and loops on the surface. I imagine him hunched over his desk, pen in hand, the nib scratching and whispering across the card. Think of the intimacy of correspondence like this! He's speaking to someone directly, sharing a part of himself, of his day, his thoughts. It's a sort of performance, isn’t it? A reaching out, a desire to connect. The ink itself becomes a stand-in for his voice, his presence. It has a rhythm and a texture all its own. Each stroke is a little gesture, a little intention made visible. This kind of handwritten message feels connected to folk art, with its direct, personal style. And that stamp! Think of all the hands it passed through. Artists are always in conversation, even across time. Roland Holst is talking to us now through this card, and we’re listening.