Adres en notitie 1915

This undated sketch, "Adres en notitie", by Willem Cornelis Rip presents us with a study in lines and linguistic form, exploring the raw aesthetic of handwritten text and spatial arrangements on a page. The writing, executed in a dark ink on light paper, showcases the artist's hand, capturing a moment of thought in progress. The composition is divided, with notations seemingly separated by purpose or time. Note how the lines of text anchor our sight, compelling us to read not for content but for visual architecture. The crossings out and additional notes further enrich the composition, disrupting any conventional reading order and inviting us to consider text as texture. Rip’s use of script destabilizes the divide between textual communication and visual expression. It challenges fixed meanings by presenting words primarily as a formal arrangement, a play of forms that engages with semiotic theory, where the signifier—the written word—overshadows the signified—its meaning. This turns the act of reading into an aesthetic experience.