Brief van Jan Toorop aan William Degouve de Nuncques 1892

This is a letter by Jan Toorop to William Degouve de Nuncques, from an unknown date, housed at the Rijksmuseum. The sketch on the letter, hastily rendered in ink, presents a captivating interplay of interior and exterior spaces. Toorop uses a linear structure to create the impression of depth and perspective. The composition is divided, with an interior scene on the left contrasting with an outdoor scene on the right. The rough, unfinished quality destabilizes any sense of fixed representation. We can interpret the formal elements through a semiotic lens. The lines act as signs, indicating spatial arrangements and symbolic divisions between the domestic and the natural. The sketch's incompleteness reflects a modernist tendency to challenge traditional artistic conventions. The contrasting forms of architecture and landscape create a tension, highlighting the interplay between culture and nature. This interplay challenges fixed meanings, suggesting a fluidity between the inner and outer worlds.