Brief aan jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout (1879-1969) Possibly 1931

Editor: We’re looking at “Brief aan jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout,” believed to be from 1931, by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. It’s ink on paper, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes me is the intimacy – it's like a peek into a personal correspondence. What draws your eye to it? Curator: Indeed, it’s an invitation to eavesdrop, isn’t it? My eyes dance across the hand-lettering itself, that idiosyncratic script. Imagine the artist’s hand moving across the page, thoughts flowing from pen to paper. Roland Holst was so immersed in a personal mythology, you see – he moved from socialism and a fascination with William Morris into symbolism. He transformed everything into something intensely *him*. Doesn’t this feel almost like a private language? Editor: I see what you mean about it being a "private language." The letters almost seem to have a life of their own, separate from the words they form. Did his symbolism influence his lettering style, do you think? Curator: Ah, good question. Yes, I'm sure that there is. His lettering became infused with a very specific intention, not just communication, but an expression of *feeling* itself. The way words curve and connect seems almost to whisper secrets, like a carefully cultivated garden path guiding you through his thoughts. He is inviting the recipient and future onlookers like ourselves, to walk through the gardens of his own consciousness, if you will. Editor: That’s fascinating. So it's less about legibility and more about conveying an atmosphere or emotion. It really shifts how I perceive it. Curator: Precisely. And that atmosphere—that almost dreamlike quality—was Holst’s realm. Editor: It’s amazing how much information you can glean from what seems like a simple letter. I'll definitely be thinking about that ‘garden path’ when I look at other handwritten pieces. Curator: Wonderful! Because isn't art all about the journey it takes us on. I sure learned more about gardens today.