Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1917

This letter to Jan Veth was written in Amsterdam, in December 1917, by the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten. See how the ink sits on the page? The artist's hand moving swiftly across the surface, each word a small, deliberate gesture. It reminds me that artmaking isn't just about the final product, but the physical act, the process of creation. I'm drawn to the letter forms themselves. The dark ink contrasts sharply with the aged paper. You can almost feel the texture of the page, the slight resistance as the pen glides across it. Notice the loops and curves in the handwriting, each character a tiny abstract expression. The way the letters connect, or don't, the spaces in between—it's like a dance of language on the page. The overall impression is of an intimate exchange. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scrawls. This piece suggests art as a conversation, a dialogue between artists, across time and space. It's a testament to the power of art to communicate, to connect us to the past, and to each other.