Overlijdensbericht aan August Allebé Possibly 1914

This announcement, made by an anonymous hand, conveys a sense of loss through careful lines and considered composition. It's like a painting in words. The text has a texture all its own. Look at the deliberate curves, the serifs like tiny, elegant feet on each letter, and the consistent weight of the ink. You can almost feel the pressure of the pen on the paper, see the breath held as each word was formed. It’s interesting to think about lettering as an art form. The phrase "la perte douloureuse" – the painful loss – it spirals a little more dramatically. The letters seem to droop, as if mirroring the sorrow they describe. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbled elegies, where the act of writing itself becomes a form of mourning. Art holds grief, then lets it go.