Notities 1906 - 1945

Editor: Here we have "Notities," or "Notes," a drawing made with ink on paper between 1906 and 1945, currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. It looks like a page from a personal sketchbook, filled with hand-written text and numbers. It has an intimate feel, almost like we're intruding on someone's private thoughts. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I see a compelling investigation into the relationship between language, material, and process. The artist’s hand, the ink, and the paper all coalesce to become the medium. This is no mere textual notation. The very act of writing becomes a tangible exploration of thought. How do the visual qualities of the handwriting itself—its pressure, its flow—influence our understanding of the "notes?" Editor: That’s interesting. So you're saying the *way* it's written is as important as *what* is written? Curator: Precisely. We must consider the materiality of this drawing. The "Notities" transcend simply being the carrier of linguistic meaning, thus emphasizing production and physical existence. Can we see in the character of the lines the weight of the world, the pressures of its making? Editor: That makes me think about how the mass production of typed words, versus the uniqueness of handwriting, impacts communication. Curator: Yes! Consider also the socioeconomic conditions under which this piece was made. Was paper a readily available commodity, or a precious resource? What did writing itself represent – labour, knowledge, privilege? This work encourages us to rethink the traditional separation of high art and humble, daily materials. Editor: I see what you mean! The piece speaks volumes beyond its literal meaning, by prompting one to focus on the cultural value and production of such a common method of production and communication, handwriting. Curator: Exactly. By studying the process, material, and social context, we gain a more profound insight than by passively receiving textual communication.