Sinterklaas schrijft een brief 1896 - 1937

This is 'Sinterklaas schrijft een brief' made by Dora Struick du Moulin, sometime between 1866 and 1937. It's monochrome, and it’s all about the scratching of the pen across the page, the cross-hatching of lines building form and shadow. The artist is unafraid to let the image be rough, to let the process show. Look at the tablecloth, how the lines follow the fall of the fabric, but also create their own abstract pattern. There’s a real joy in the making, a freedom to play with the medium, not to just illustrate a scene but to revel in the texture of ink on paper. It reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley, who similarly embraced the graphic possibilities of line, but there’s also something more playful and less precious here. Art is always a conversation, artists riffing off each other, picking up ideas and running with them, and Struick du Moulin is definitely having fun with this exchange.