Briefkaart aan Jan Veth before 1911

This is a postcard, made in 1911 by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot. It has three stamps, each with a different colour scheme, along with hand-written annotations. What strikes me about this is the layering of textures and marks across the surface. I love how the smudged ink of the postmark contrasts with the precision of the postage stamps, one red, one green, one blue, each a tiny work of graphic art. The handwriting, looping and flowing, adds another layer, full of personal energy. Look closely, and you can see the ghost of the printed lines underneath, a subtle grid grounding the freedom of the script. The date in the upper left has a more casual, almost nonchalant quality compared to the formal address. The colour palette is restrained, yet each colour seems to have a reason for being there. For me, all of these elements relate to art as an ongoing conversation, a kind of back-and-forth between intention and accident, control and release. Like in Cy Twombly's work, the scribbles and marks invite multiple readings, celebrating the joy of ambiguity.