Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1921

This is a letter made by Willem Witsen in 1921 with ink on paper. The overall tonality is one of monochrome, or near enough, which can feel quite flattening, but the texture is very rich. You can see the stroke of the nib creating subtle variations in thickness, as well as some ink blots and smudges. All of this adds up to a sense of intimacy, like we're really getting close to the hand that wrote these words. The pressure and rhythm almost feels like a musical score. Look at the flourish on the 'O' in Oviterpark, or the way that words occasionally over-write the lines above. I think this sense of layering is quite beautiful. It creates depth, like an etching, and also reminds us that writing, like art, is a process of thinking through making. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly, a later artist who also explored the poetics of mark making.