Brief aan Frans Erens Possibly 1919

This letter, made in 1919 by Jan Toorop, is covered in handwriting - a torrent of language rendered in ink on paper. I imagine Toorop, pen in hand, hunched over a desk, the words flowing from mind to paper, a direct conduit of thought. I sympathize with Toorop and the sheer density of text. It’s almost a painting in itself - the script creating a field of visual texture. Look at the looping ascenders and descenders, the serifs and the way the ink pools in certain spots. The page becomes a terrain of communication, and it’s got a rhythm, a kind of gestural energy. The letter feels connected to the wider world of artistic exchange, like the letters of Van Gogh. Artists have always been in conversation, even across time. It makes me wonder, what was Toorop hoping to express, and what kind of response did he anticipate from Frans Erens? I like to think of it as an offering of sorts, a gesture of connection and artistic solidarity.