Brief aan Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk Possibly 1916

This letter was written by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst to Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk, probably in 1916. Look at the way the ink just seems to float across the page, each word a little island of thought. It's fascinating how the material of the page becomes part of the artwork. You can almost feel the texture of the paper, slightly rough, absorbent. And then there's the handwriting itself—the loops and swishes, the way some letters are bolder than others, as if the pen had a mind of its own. It's easy to imagine the writer pausing, thinking, and then setting the pen down again with intention. The signature at the bottom, "Rn. Roland Holst," feels so personal, so direct. It’s like a little flourish, a mark of the artist’s presence. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbled paintings, where the gesture of writing becomes a kind of abstract expression. In the end, this letter is a reminder that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the materials, and the viewer.