Brief aan Gustave Bourcard Possibly 1886

This is a letter to Gustave Bourcard made by Félix Hilaire Buhot in 1886. The composition is dominated by the artist's handwriting, a dense network of strokes and curves that fill the page. The ink's tonality varies, creating a play of light and shadow across the surface, while the letter’s structure appears both intimate and intellectual, inviting us into a personal exchange. Buhot uses the act of writing itself as a form of artistic expression. The handwriting becomes a visual texture, almost obscuring the literal meaning of the words. This challenges the traditional function of a letter, destabilizing the boundary between communication and art. We might consider this through the lens of semiotics, where the signifier—the written word—takes precedence over the signified, or its intended message. In closing, observe how the materiality of the letter—the paper, the ink, the script—combine to form a complex visual field. This pushes the boundaries of what we consider a simple correspondence, turning it into a rich, multi-layered work of art that blurs the lines of language and image.