Brief aan Willem Bogtman Possibly 1941 - 1949

Curator: Here we have "Brief aan Willem Bogtman" which translates to "Letter to Willem Bogtman" by Henriëtte Roland Holst-van der Schalk, likely created sometime between 1941 and 1949. It’s crafted using ink and pen on paper, showcasing a personal correspondence. Editor: It’s striking how immediate it feels, even across the decades. The script rushes across the page with an urgency. I am immediately drawn to the slant and flow, feeling very intimate, a hidden, almost forbidden glance at another's mail. Curator: Holst-van der Schalk, of course, was deeply involved in socialist movements and literary circles. Looking at this letter through that lens, we can imagine its role in sustaining intellectual and political connections during turbulent times. The act of writing itself becomes an act of resistance or perseverance. Editor: Absolutely. I see that persistence visually in the deliberate, looping script. Letters, words – they were lifelines. The ink bleeds slightly, too, blurring the edges, as memory and the tangible artifacts of communication often do. Was calligraphic penmanship still culturally relevant during these times? Curator: Absolutely. Calligraphy, even in a less formal style, was deeply embedded in education and cultural expression, giving weight to personal correspondence in ways we might not immediately grasp today, and this particular letter offers more informal style, which brings a sense of familiarity. It served to uphold both communication and education within intimate, social contexts. Editor: The loops and slants seem like a kind of emotional code; I wonder about Bogtman’s response, both immediate and lasting. Did he understand her intent or feel the resonance of her visual cues? Curator: That is the inherent mystery and the evocative potential that survives within personal documentation, such as letters, photographs, or even mundane receipts, for those who care to imagine what significance such everyday media held in historical contexts. This artwork underscores how handwriting can express individual sentiment and socio-political significance when other means of free expression are compromised or forbidden. Editor: Yes, viewing a letter always gives me such insight on one individual relating and reaching out to another. What more basic form of connection is there? I will keep considering her artistic execution alongside the social context that underscores its creation.