Brief aan Jan Veth before 1918

This "Brief aan Jan Veth" was painted by Isaac Israels; I imagine him wielding his brush like a calligrapher’s pen. He’s writing a letter, on the back of a postcard, to Jan Veth. It’s 1918; I feel for Israels as he paints. I can only imagine what was in his mind at that time. He may have been thinking about how to make the most of his life and his art. Israels' strokes feel so alive, the way the lines curve and dance across the card. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, almost, but with this old-world, intimate touch. Painting, in its purest form, lets us talk to each other, across time, across styles, in this big, messy, gorgeous conversation. It is full of uncertainties and ambiguities, allowing for multiple readings, rather than fixed interpretations.