Brief aan Max Dittmar Henkel Possibly 1938

This is "Brief aan Max Dittmar Henkel," a handwritten letter by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, made in 1938 and now held in the Rijksmuseum. The most striking element is the cursive script itself, which dominates the visual field. The handwriting, in a dark ink against the light paper, creates a network of lines, loops, and strokes that oscillate between legibility and abstraction. The formal structure of the writing, the pressure and rhythm of the pen, form the basis of my interpretation. The way the text fills the page, the varying thickness of the lines, it all suggests a sense of urgency, of a personal expression conveyed through the very act of writing. The text, with its elegant yet assertive lines, transcends its literal meaning and becomes an abstract composition. De Mesquita's letter challenges fixed meanings, existing in the space between text and image. In his formal construction, he invites us to contemplate the materiality of language and the act of communication itself.