Briefkaart aan Willem Bogtman Possibly 1925 - 1927

This postcard to Willem Bogtman was made with ink on paper by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst at an unknown date. Holst’s script sprawls across the card, a dark tangle full of personal energy, like an abstract expressionist painting in miniature. The color is subtle, almost sepia toned, like an old photograph faded by time. The stamp in the upper right corner looks like a tiny painting in itself. But the main event is the handwriting. Look at how the lines loop and cross, sometimes thick and dark, sometimes thin and light, like a nervous system laid bare. It feels intimate, like we’re eavesdropping on a private conversation. Each word is a gesture, a little dance of the pen. This card reminds me a bit of Cy Twombly’s scrawled paintings. Both artists use writing as a way to channel emotion, turning language into something raw and visceral. The message itself becomes secondary to the pure act of mark-making. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be grand or monumental, sometimes it's the small, everyday things that carry the most meaning.