Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen Possibly 1887

This letter was penned by Willem Bastiaan Tholen to Frans Buffa en Zonen. The lines of script, more than just words, carry the weight of human connection across time. Consider the act of handwriting itself. In antiquity, the careful strokes of a scribe were akin to prayer. Later, calligraphy became a symbol of status and refinement. Even now, in our digital age, a handwritten note carries a unique intimacy, a trace of the author's very self. Note how the strokes vary in thickness, reflecting Tholen's changing pressure and mood. This is a kind of haptic communication, speaking to our subconscious through the sense of touch, even though we only see the page. The content of the letter hints at artistic and business dealings, a blend of the practical and the aesthetic. This duality reminds us that art is never created in a vacuum but is always entwined with economic and social realities. It is a cyclical and dynamic interplay of form and function, revealing an emotional depth that transcends its immediate purpose.