Brief aan August Allebé 1851 - 1914

Here we see Ferdinand Leenhoff’s "Brief aan August Allebé," a letter presenting itself as a study in contrasts, rendered with ink on a grid. The grid, a pre-existing structure, provides a framework for Leenhoff's script. Note how the ink's darkness varies, creating a hierarchy of form. It also contrasts with the paleness of the paper. The writing is mostly located in the top half of the page. The empty space, the negative space, is just as important. Leenhoff’s piece embodies structuralist principles. The grid is the underlying system of organization, while the script introduces a layer of individual expression. The interplay between them yields a structured yet personalized form of communication. This challenges traditional notions of authorship, suggesting a collaborative effort between pre-existing structures and individual agency. It makes you consider how the form destabilizes the content and how the message is as important as its structural components.