Brief aan Cornelis Gerardus 't Hooft 1876 - 1935

This is a letter by Max Liebermann, and while it wasn’t made with paint, there is something painterly about the gestures of handwriting! The ink moves across the page, building into a texture. The handwritten word: it’s like a trace of an action, more immediate than the cool distance of type. Imagine Liebermann at his desk, composing this note to Cornelis Gerardus 't Hooft, probably trying to think of the best place to meet. He makes suggestions. Maybe he scratches one out? This is like the pentimenti in a painting when you see the ghost of a line from a previous composition! What I like about it is how an artist tries to catch time, and the meeting places in our lives. Liebermann, like other artists, is in conversation across time, inspiring creativity. It’s about embodied expression, ambiguity and uncertainty, leaving room for interpretation.