Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1903 - 1917

This is a letter to Jan Veth by Willem Bastiaan Tholen, penned in 1903. Just imagine Tholen with his pen and ink, sitting down to write. Each stroke carefully considered. I like to think about how writing is a way of thinking, a way of seeing. Look at the slant of the letters, the way words cluster together, then spread out again. Tholen’s handwriting is confident, but also intimate. You can almost feel him searching for the right words, see him pausing, reflecting. This letter reminds me of other painter-writers, like Van Gogh, whose letters are as revealing as his canvases, where writing becomes a form of drawing, a direct expression of thought and feeling. These artists are constantly learning from each other, riffing on each other’s ideas. Painting, writing – it’s all part of this ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. And at its heart, a willingness to embrace the messy, uncertain process of figuring things out.