Briefkaart aan Willem Bogtman before 1926

This is a postcard to Willem Bogtman, its surface covered with handwriting, sent sometime in 1929. I can almost see the pen gliding across the paper, leaving a trail of dark ink in its wake. I wonder what Holst was thinking as he penned this note? Was he in a hurry, scribbling down his thoughts before they vanished? The stamp is slightly faded, a ghostly reminder of the journey this little piece of paper has taken. It has a life beyond the practical information that it conveys. The shapes of the letters themselves – each loop and curve – are like miniature drawings, each one a mark-making gesture with its own rhythm. The slant of the handwriting, the pressure of the pen. It all conveys meaning beyond the words themselves. Holst was part of a community of artists and intellectuals, constantly exchanging ideas and inspiring one another's creativity. Artists build on each other's work, and this card reminds us that painting and writing are both acts of conversation.