Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1887

Curator: So, here we have Chap van Deventer's "Brief aan Jan Veth," potentially from 1887. It's ink on paper, a drawing using a pen, which puts it into a Modernist category. Editor: Yes, it’s interesting to consider this piece a work of art, as my first impression is that it’s a simple letter. Given that it’s pen on paper, do you see it functioning outside of a functional, material context? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the ink, the paper—they were produced through labor, traded, and consumed. Van Deventer made choices when choosing his materials. What paper grade did he use? How does its texture interact with the ink? These aren't neutral elements. This puts art closer to craft in terms of materiality. Editor: So, the selection of the paper and ink elevate what could be simply correspondence to an art piece, because the medium has become part of the message? Curator: Exactly. And consider the social context! This letter becomes art by explicitly acknowledging the system that allows the artist to produce such correspondence as "art". Who was Jan Veth? What was the nature of their relationship? And what can those social contexts reveal to us? How do you think labor relates to the act of writing itself? Editor: Hmm, it shifts my focus away from deciphering the letter's contents towards understanding the work behind it. It suggests artistic consideration. It seems that Van Deventer may have wished the writing, itself, to function as an image of artistry. Curator: Precisely! Thinking about the making, about materials and context, opens the work to new levels of consideration, helping us move beyond just the aesthetic. Editor: I hadn't considered the act of writing itself as a physical process contributing to the artwork. Thank you!