Brief aan August Allebé Possibly 1913

This is “Brief aan August Allebé” by Jonkheer Victor Eugène Louis de Stuers, made sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. What strikes me here is the intimacy of the handwritten word. The ink sits on the page, dark and determined, each stroke a tiny journey. Look at how the lines swell and thin, a dance of pressure and release. It reminds me that writing, like painting, is a physical act, a conversation between the hand, the tool, and the surface. This letter, with its looping letters and elegant script, is not just about conveying information. It's about presence, about the writer leaving a trace of himself on the world. It makes me think of Cy Twombly, who transformed handwriting into abstract expressionism. Both artists remind us that art is not just about what we see but about how we feel, about the connection between the artist's hand and our own hearts.