Brief aan Sjoerd Kuperus Possibly 1941 - 1949

This is a letter written by the Dutch author and teacher Jac. P. Thijsse to Sjoerd Kuperus, dated September 21, 1941. At this time, the Netherlands was under Nazi occupation, a circumstance that undoubtedly impacted even the most quotidian aspects of life. Here, Thijsse references a drawing, or "schetsen" as he writes, and offers Kuperus highly specific instructions. He writes of the need to capture a certain atmosphere with the suggestion of light; he refers to the precise angle at which a figure should stand, and he offers miniscule measurements for the depiction of flower petals. As a social historian, I read this letter in the context of the cultural shifts happening in wartime Netherlands. In understanding the social conditions that shape artistic production, we might consider the impact of the war on artistic patronage and the potential for art to serve as a form of resistance. To understand this document, the historian would need to consider a range of resources, from biographical information about both figures to the broader cultural history of the Nazi occupation.