Conceptbrief aan Albert Messein c. 1930

Henriette Wilhelmina van Baak created this note to Albert Messein with ink on paper. I wonder, was she sitting at a desk, or holding the paper in her hand? Look at the way the ink flows, quick strokes across the page like a dance. Her handwriting is a series of quick, connected marks. I can almost feel the pressure of the pen on the page, the way the ink pools in certain spots, then fades as the pen glides on. Writing is a physical act, just like painting; each stroke reflects thought and feeling, and tells a story of its own. Maybe this act of communication was as cathartic for her as painting is for me? Each of us is influenced by those who came before us, so I wonder, who were Henriette’s influences? How might she see the art of today? It’s a beautiful thing, this conversation between artists across time, inspiring each other to create, to express, to question.