Prentbriefkaart aan Willem Bogtman Possibly 1937

This postcard to Willem Bogtman by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst captures a monochromatic landscape; a record of a place but also a feeling, maybe even a memory. The mountain looms large, its silhouette softened by the delicate gradations of light and shadow. See how the reflections in the lake create an almost mirror image, blurring the boundary between the real and the reflected. The landscape is peppered with tiny buildings, clinging to the slopes. Looking at Holst’s wider body of work, you find symbolic imagery and a spiritual intensity, like with Munch. It makes you think about art as a constant conversation, a shared exploration of what it means to see and be seen.