Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1903 - 1911

This letter to Jan Veth was written by Jozef Israëls in The Hague on November 10th, 1903. Israëls' handwriting has a kind of rhythmic texture, a bit like the controlled chaos I try to achieve in my own painting practice. Looking closely at the paper, it's amazing how the ink bleeds just slightly into the fibers, creating soft edges that contrast with the rigid structure of language itself. It reminds me that even something as seemingly straightforward as a letter involves a physical process. And then there's the signature, so elegant and confident. It’s a tiny gesture, but it speaks volumes about the artist's presence, a flourish that suggests art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between intention and accident, control and release, much like the give and take between artists and the world.