Blad 99 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1937 - 1939

This page comes from a ledger made at the Colonial School for Girls and Women in The Hague, sometime between 1930 and 1949. Look at the handwriting, how each entry follows a grid, but each also has its own feel, a distinct style, like the start of an abstract painting. The crisp lines and faded ink create such a delicate texture on the page. Each stroke of the pen, deliberate yet flowing, is a record, a decision, a mark of an individual’s hand at work. Notice the signatures, some bold and confident, others more tentative, almost shy. Look at the fourth signature down, the way the lines flow into each other, like a cursive dance. These entries remind me of Cy Twombly’s mark-making, the way he turned writing into a visual poetry. We can see how this everyday task of record-keeping becomes a kind of art in itself. It’s about process, about the moment of creation, the interplay between intention and accident. Art is everywhere!