Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1906 - 1912

This letter to Jan Veth was written by Chap van Deventer, in 1906. It’s done with ink on graph paper, a choice that brings a kind of structure to the personal touch of handwriting. The ink is dark, almost black, with varying pressure that gives the letters a life of their own. Look at how the lines thicken and thin, how some words seem to press harder into the page. The handwriting has a beautiful rhythm, full of loops and curves, like a dance across the page. The letter becomes more than just words; it becomes a physical record of thought. You can almost feel the writer pausing, considering their next point. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scrawls, where the act of writing or drawing is as important as the content. Both artists remind us that the process is as important as the final product. They both make you wonder what it means to communicate, to make a mark, and leave a trace of yourself behind.