Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen Possibly 1880 - 1881

This letter to Frans Buffa and Zonen was created by Mari ten Kate and is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The visual experience is dominated by the contrast between the pale, textured paper and the delicate, dark grey ink of the handwritten script. The composition adheres to a traditional letter format, with an address at the top and a signature at the bottom, framing the body of the text. The script is written in Dutch. The artist’s cursive script dances across the page, creating a texture of loops and lines. While the linguistic content might elude non-Dutch speakers, the semiotic system of writing itself conveys meaning. The act of handwriting, as opposed to print, invokes a sense of personal connection. The letter destabilizes the impersonal nature of formal communication by reminding us of the human hand and individual expression. Consider the formal quality of the handwriting; the pressure and flow of the ink, the spacing, and the rhythm create a unique visual language that speaks to the complexities of human interaction.