Prentbriefkaart aan Joop Sjollema before 1936

This postcard to Joop Sjollema was made in 1932 by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, probably with ink. I am struck by the contrast between the formal elements of the card – the printed lines and stamp, the stamp of the postal service – and the expressive, almost frantic, handwriting that fills the rest of the space. The ink varies in tone and saturation, which makes me wonder what kind of pen Holst was using. You can see where the nib has been loaded with ink and then released it onto the card, creating these thick, juicy lines. I love the way that the handwriting seems to ignore the printed lines on the card; the diagonal slash of the address cuts right through the words written in the top left. Roland Holst seems to have been deeply invested in graphic design and the applied arts. I am reminded of the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, with their interest in the handmade and the idea of art as being integrated into everyday life. For Holst, as for many artists, art is a form which embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed or definitive meanings.