Brief aan Anna Dorothea Dirks Possibly 1927

This letter was written in 1927 by Johan Huizinga, using ink on paper. The handwriting gives the impression of being both careful and casual, if that makes sense? You can see the process of Huizinga’s thoughts right there on the page, almost as if he’s thinking out loud. The ink is a dark, solid colour, giving a sense of permanence and formality. But, the lines are thin, with a delicate texture, so it feels quite approachable. See how the letters lean and loop, with a rhythm that’s really unique to the individual hand that wrote it? It's like a fingerprint, you know? The way the words are placed on the page tells you that this isn’t a final draft, but more of a note, perhaps even a reminder. It's kind of like Cy Twombly's work in that way, the way Twombly made marks that are both expressive and communicative. In both, you get a real sense of the person behind the art. It reminds you that art is just communication between people.