Notitie 1906 - 1945

This page from a notepad was made by Reijer Stolk sometime between 1896 and 1945. It seems simple enough, a common notepad and some ink. But consider the physical qualities of the paper itself. Paper in Stolk's time was made from wood pulp through an industrialized process, a stark contrast from earlier, laborious methods that used cotton rags. It would have been relatively cheap and readily available, a material of everyday life. The marks made with ink, a fluid substance transferred onto the page with a pen, suggests a quick, almost improvisational process, a fleeting thought captured in script. The artist's gesture becomes permanent through the interaction of ink and paper. These materials carry the weight of cultural and economic histories, revealing a shift towards mass production and consumption. A simple notepad page can provide insight into the social context of its time. It reminds us that even the most humble materials can be imbued with meaning.