Overlijdensbericht Paul Rink Possibly 1903 - 1909

This is a printed announcement, a *Overlijdensbericht*, made by Corrie Rink-Boellaard to mark the death of her husband, Paul Rink, in September 1903. The marks here aren’t made by hand with a brush or pen, but by a machine, and that mechanical act feels very different. It’s a moment frozen in time, made even more poignant by the slight imperfections around the edges, as if it were torn from a larger sheet. There's something about the starkness of the black ink on the pale, aged paper that really grabs you. The texture of the paper itself is visible, its surface subtly uneven. The ink isn’t bleeding or smudged, it's precise and resolute. It speaks to the formality of the era. The official declaration sits in contrast to the intimacy of the words, 'mijn innig geliefde Echtgenoot’ – my deeply beloved husband. This piece reminds me of the work of Félix Vallotton and his woodcut prints. They too capture a moment with a similar sense of quiet intensity. Art isn’t always about grand gestures; sometimes, it’s about these small, deeply personal moments.