Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1925

Curator: Here, we have "Brief aan Jan Veth," possibly from 1925, created by André Jolles. It’s an ink drawing on paper. My first impression? Melancholy. Like a captured thought floating in amber. Editor: Amber’s apt; that antique paper has aged beautifully! It’s mostly text, I’ll grant you that. But think of script itself—handwritten script—as iconography. It speaks volumes, not only through content but form: slant, pressure, the very *weight* of the writer’s hand. It conveys intimacy; It suggests urgency, depending on the script, emotion… Here, a fragile urgency. Curator: Fragile is key. Jolles clearly wasn't focused on posterity with this, was he? You sense the urgency of communication winning over flawless script. I’m drawn to the texture—the thinness of the ink, almost grey in places—as if he’s speaking across a veil. It lends a raw quality, almost like glimpsing his unfiltered thought process. Editor: I concur about the unvarnished feeling. Think, also, about letters *as* containers. They carry fragments of self, folded and sealed away… sent into the world, potentially transforming the recipient. The text itself might concern daily trifles—as you say—but observe how many psychological, almost magical operations are present. That closing inscription? A charm of friendship! Curator: Yes, indeed. When you consider his career as a linguist, you realize that every turn of phrase carries tremendous intentionality, though veiled behind conversational tone. It seems casual, almost impromptu—yet every stroke seems considered. And the date—a crucial anchor. 1925! Think of the shifts, societal quakes brewing just beneath this ostensibly simple note! Editor: It truly underscores the layers we can find within a seemingly simple exchange. Text within the grand text. I hadn't appreciated just how the medium and the date amplifies meaning like this. Curator: Likewise; considering script as a distinct, highly intentional form – your insight opens my eyes anew! I'll look at it very differently from now on.