Geboortekaart van Renée Marian, dochter van A. en R. Bos-Cock c. 1935

This is a birth announcement card made in 1935 for Renée Marian by an anonymous artist. It's printed with simple, black ink on what looks like off-white card stock, and I love the way the letters of her name cascade down the page, each one becoming its own little artwork. There's something so intimate and tender about the arrangement of the text, it's like a little poem or a visual score. Each letter has been carefully considered, given space to breathe, to exist on its own. It's a simple but profound gesture, echoing the care and attention given to a newborn child. The texture of the paper seems to add to the overall effect, giving the piece a tactile quality, as if you could feel the weight of the moment, the hopes and dreams embedded in this small card. This piece reminds me a bit of the work of the artist, Ray Johnson, and his use of language, text and collage. Art is a conversation across time, a quiet dialogue between makers and viewers. What is art but an exploration of the possible?