Prentbriefkaart aan Andries Bonger before 1909

This postcard to Andries Bonger was sent by Emile Bernard in 1908, a little message from one artist to another. I can imagine Bernard writing this, pen in hand, leaning over the paper, each word a deliberate mark. It’s so interesting to see an artist's handwriting like this. It reminds me that artists are people who are good with their hands, whether it is brushing paint, or carefully putting pen to paper. You can see the postal stamps which punctuate the surface. I wonder about the kind of news that gets sent on postcards. Ephemeral and momentary, just little reminders of the big world outside. These little documents are just as important as grand paintings. They show how artists connect and communicate, and inspire each other, even through something as simple as a postcard sent across the country.