Brief aan Anna Dorothea Dirks Possibly 1917

This letter to Anna Dorothea Dirks was written in 1917 by Thérèse Schwartze. Just imagine Thérèse, in her studio, pen in hand, the ink flowing, swirling, each word a brushstroke, creating a portrait of her thoughts. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the page, see the pressure, the pauses, each stroke of ink. What's she thinking as she's writing? Is she worried, happy, reflective? Does this letter offer us a peek into her inner world? I think yes. It reminds me of some Cy Twombly’s messy, scratchy drawings. Both are using line to capture an idea and communicate feeling, intention, and meaning. It is like Schwartze is speaking to us across time, sharing a moment, a thought, a question. It's like a call and response between artists, an ongoing conversation across time.