Brief aan Willem Bogtman Possibly 1923

This is "Brief aan Willem Bogtman" by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, a letter made in 1923. It's all looping cursive and soft graphite. I can picture Holst writing this and pausing to think, maybe chewing on the end of his pen. What was he like? He's trying to reach someone, to communicate something, like all of us. The graphite is dark in some places, light in others, depending on how hard he pressed. You can almost feel the weight of his hand on the page. I'm always moved by how artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time. Holst was probably inspired by other artists, and maybe he'll inspire someone else someday. It’s like, we're all just trying to make sense of the world in our own way, using whatever tools we have. The act of creation is like a thread that connects us all.