Brief aan Mien Cambier van Nooten 1912 - 1940

This is a scan of a handwritten letter titled 'Brief aan Mien Cambier van Nooten' by Dick Ket, made sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. The entire composition is filled with dense, looping script, like a field of tangled vines. Each word seems to lean on the next, creating a sense of urgency and intimacy. There’s something almost claustrophobic about the closeness of the lines, as if the words are huddling together for warmth. The ink varies in darkness, hinting at the changing pressure of the pen, the rhythm of thought unfolding onto the page. Look closely, and you can see the occasional blot or smudge, evidence of the hand’s presence, the materiality of the writing process itself. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, but more constrained. Ket’s letter becomes more than just a message; it's a physical manifestation of thought and feeling, a testament to the power of language to capture the complexities of human experience. It’s like a whispered conversation, a secret shared between artist and viewer, echoing through time.