Brief aan Willem Bogtman Possibly 1936

This letter was handwritten by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, probably in the early 20th century, using ink on paper, I imagine. The loops and swirls of the script feel restless, as if the hand that wrote them was in constant motion, always reaching, always searching. It reminds me of those all-night work sessions when I'm trying to resolve some difficulty in a painting and I just keep going, piling layer upon layer. I wonder what it was like for Holst to put pen to paper, what thoughts and feelings moved his hand across the page? Was he wrestling with ideas, trying to capture a fleeting image, or simply unburdening his mind? The page is crammed with text; the words press against each other. But I feel that density creates a kind of energy, the energy of someone who is utterly absorbed in the act of communication. It's a reminder that artists are constantly in conversation with one another, across time and space. Each mark, each gesture, is a response to what has come before and an invitation to what might follow.