Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1902 - 1927

This letter to Jan Veth was written by Antoon Derkinderen, in 1902. I am imagining Derkinderen’s hand moving across the page, the pen scratching, each word a deliberate stroke, a dance between thought and action. It looks like the artist has used black ink on a cream paper, and the contrast creates a striking visual rhythm, almost like a musical score where each word is a note. I can imagine Derkinderen pausing, thinking, feeling as he wrote, maybe about art, about the world, about his friend. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scribbled lines, or Brice Marden’s calligraphic forms, where writing becomes drawing, thinking becomes seeing. The act of writing here becomes an act of inquiry, a way of understanding and engaging with the world. This simple letter reminds us that art and life are inseparable, an ongoing conversation where ideas and experiences are constantly exchanged and reinterpreted. It's a reminder that even in our most personal moments, we are connected to a larger artistic and intellectual community, inspiring and being inspired by those who came before us, and those who will come after.