Conceptbrief aan Albert Messein Possibly 1930

This letter, made in 1930 by Henriette Wilhelmina van Baak, is a beautiful script of greyscale marks on paper. I can imagine her hand moving across the page, each word a deliberate act of construction. I feel the artist's presence in the gentle, flowing script. It is a lovely thing to see a painter at work. They are thinking, then making, then thinking about what they have made, and then going on to make some more. The act of writing in grey is such a gesture, the words a texture of felt thought. The surface of the page is activated by the thoughtful movements of grey; it's a delicate dance. Van Baak's words remind me of other painter-writers like Cy Twombly, each adding to an ongoing exchange. Writing like painting becomes a space for uncertainty, open for each of us to interpret.