Brief aan Andries Bonger before 1925

This is a letter to Andries Bonger, written by Emile Bernard, and it’s all about planning a visit. What strikes me is the intimacy of the handwriting itself. The ink bleeds slightly into the page, creating a soft, almost blurry effect. You can almost feel the pressure of the pen on the paper, a direct line to Bernard's thoughts. It reminds me that artmaking is, at its core, a very physical, hands-on process. There’s a real sensitivity in the way the letters form words, the little flicks and curves, that speaks to a kind of attentive presence. Think about handwriting as a kind of drawing, each stroke a gesture, a mark. It's a way of seeing the world, translating thoughts into something tangible and visible. In its own way, this letter captures a moment in time just as much as any painting would, and has echoes of Van Gogh’s own letters to his brother Theo. Art is always an exchange; a conversation between people and ideas.