Brief aan het bestuur van de Nederlandsche Etsclub Possibly 1888

Curator: At first glance, I see graceful script—almost like strands of elegantly draped silk. Editor: That's a lovely image. We are looking at “Brief aan het bestuur van de Nederlandsche Etsclub”, or “Letter to the board of the Dutch Etching Club,” a drawing in ink on paper by Wally Moes, probably created around 1888. Curator: A letter indeed. It is so different to think of calligraphy as visual art and not just information made beautiful. Yet here it is, framed and hung in a gallery! My eye is trying to interpret what the writer has captured in these sinuous loops. What sort of world do you see emerging from these symbols? Editor: One where correspondence feels like a precious artform, certainly. And though I can't read the language of the letter, I can feel its purpose. Look at how some of the strokes thicken with emphasis. I sense the personality behind each carefully weighted mark. Curator: It's amazing how expressive ink can be, carrying intention, emotional depth, even humour if the artist so wishes. And what a lovely touch she adds at the very bottom with her elegant, almost performative, signature, ‘Wally Moes.’ Editor: I get a sense of timelessness. This letter from another era brings into question ideas about technology and our human compulsion for written communication. A relic! Curator: The idea that communication itself can be considered art – something that carries culture, tradition, the memory of the hand... Editor: That’s something to ponder as we leave the gallery today. Thank you, Wally Moes.