Brief aan anoniem 1884 - 1952

This letter was written by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, though it's not clear when. The first thing I notice is the title in fancy script. It’s almost like he's creating a logo. You can imagine him practicing those letterforms over and over. I'm immediately drawn into the handwriting itself, its loops and swirls, the deliberate way he forms each word. And I'm struck by the act of correspondence – it feels so different now in the age of email. The words themselves seem full of yearning, and the signature at the bottom is so elegant. You can see the mark of the pen on the page, the pressure and the flow of ink as he signs his name. I just imagine him sitting at his desk, carefully composing this message. It's a reminder that artists are always in conversation with each other, exchanging ideas and inspiration across time. And that the simple act of writing, like painting, can be a form of expression, embracing ambiguity and leaving room for multiple interpretations.