Blad 8 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1930 - 1937

This is a page from a ledger created in the Colonial School for Girls and Women in The Hague sometime between 1930 and 1949. Look at the care that went into this document! The columns are carefully ruled, and the handwriting is so precise. It's the kind of controlled mark-making that carries an emotional charge, a kind of quiet intensity. You can feel the weight of bureaucracy, but also the dedication to keeping things just so. The little photographs pasted in next to each name seem like acts of defiance, moments of rebellion in the face of uniformity. Now, notice how the faded ink creates a ghostly effect. The whole page becomes like a memory, something partially erased but still present. I love how the script dances across the page, each letter a small gesture, and I'm reminded of the way Cy Twombly made marks on a canvas, like a code only he understood. Both bring a uniquely personal quality to artmaking.