Brief aan Jan Veth 1874 - 1925

This is a letter written in 1892 by Jan Toorop, penned with ink on paper, located at Café Riche in La Haye. The script, rendered in a hurried hand, presents us with a fascinating study in the symbolism of language itself. Consider the act of writing: a direct link from thought to tangible form. Since ancient times, the hand holding a stylus has been seen as an extension of the self, channeling inner visions into the outer world. In Toorop's letter, we see a flurry of words, each stroke bearing the imprint of his immediate thoughts and emotions. The very act of putting pen to paper becomes a ritual of externalizing the internal. This reveals something profound about the enduring human need to communicate, to leave our mark, and to transcend the limitations of time and space through symbols. It's a primal urge, found in cave paintings and digital text messages alike.