Brief aan Anna Dorothea Dirks Possibly 1926

This letter, penned by Johan Huizinga on board the Cunard RMS Berengaria, is an artwork in its own right. Imagine Huizinga, a historian, finding himself amidst the vastness of the sea, the ship cutting through the waves. The controlled strokes of the handwriting remind me of a drawing, each line deliberate, yet flowing. I can imagine him pausing, gazing out at the horizon before returning to his thoughts, etching them onto paper. Was he reflecting on history, or contemplating the future? This letter is a quiet rebellion against the notion of fixed meaning. Like a painting that evolves with each brushstroke, the words shift and change with each reading. The materiality of the ink on paper adds depth, grounding the intellectual and emotional resonances of the work. Huizinga's embodied expression embraces ambiguity, and the letter invites multiple interpretations. It reminds us that artists, regardless of their medium, are always in conversation with each other across time.