Ontwerp van een schrijfvoorbeeld: A mon singul[ier] amy (...) 1605

Jan van de Velde I created this pen drawing titled "Ontwerp van een schrijfvoorbeeld: A mon singul[ier] amy (...)" sometime before his death in 1623. Immediately, one notices the work’s composition, dominated by elegant, curvilinear forms which create a sense of movement. The scripted lines and flourishes of the pen, coupled with the stark contrast of the dark ink against the light paper, evoke a feeling of refined sophistication. The artwork is a writing sample, a display of calligraphic virtuosity, and moves beyond mere textual communication. The very structure of the letter transcends its literal meaning through the dramatic play of lines and forms. Van de Velde uses his medium to explore the aesthetic potential inherent in writing, effectively challenging the conventional role of text. It's a dialogue between form and function, where writing as a means of communication is consciously destabilized, transforming it into an artistic expression. The artist encourages us to consider the interplay between the visual and the textual.