Brief aan Felicien Bobeldijk Possibly 1907

This letter to Felicien Bobeldijk was written by Willem Witsen in 1907. You know, seeing his looping script makes me think about how writing is a kind of drawing, and drawing a kind of writing. Imagine Witsen, pen in hand, leaning over the page. Maybe he paused, mid-sentence, thinking hard about what he wanted to say to his friend. The ink bleeds a little in places, like my watercolors sometimes do – that’s how you know it’s heartfelt, right? The dark ink on the pale paper is just so immediate, so present, you get this real sense of connection to the artist. I bet Witsen probably wrote this in one sitting, just letting his thoughts flow. You can almost feel him there, in the room, wrestling with his thoughts and feelings. I like to think all artists are in an ongoing conversation, and Witsen’s letter reminds me that we are always building on the ideas and expressions of those who came before us, and will come after us, too.