Brief aan Willem Bogtman 1920 - 1938

This letter was written by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, though I can’t tell exactly when, or where, except that it now lives in the Rijksmuseum. Holst used pen and ink to set down a message for Willem Bogtman, but for me, it also reveals how the artist was thinking and feeling that day. I imagine Holst hunched over a desk, the nib of his pen scratching against the paper. He pauses, considering his words, then commits them to the page, stroke by stroke. The ink, a gentle grey, pools in the fibers, creating a delicate dance of light and shadow. Each letter, slightly imperfect, reveals the artist’s hand, his intention. The act of writing, like painting, is an embodied experience. It’s a way of charting the movements of the mind, the ebb and flow of thought. Holst’s letter, a fleeting communication between friends, now stands as a testament to the enduring power of human expression. His intimate gestures remind me how artists continually build on each other's creative insights across time.