Prentbriefkaart aan Ab Bogtman Possibly 1938

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made this postcard to Ab Bogtman in July 1938, probably using ink. The palette is minimal, almost monochromatic, and the mood is somber. I imagine Roland Holst outside, squinting to see through the gloom, trying to capture the fading light. He scratched the writing into the surface. Did he make mistakes? Did he have to stop to refill his pen? I feel like I’m standing right next to him, looking at the same scene. The image appears to show a building, glimpsed through the trees, possibly with a figure standing by the door. I sympathize with the artist trying to find his way to the house through the dark, trying to write a message that can offer light. Artists are always in conversation with each other, and it’s interesting to consider who Roland Holst might have been looking at when he made this. It makes me want to pick up a pen myself.