Brief aan Jan Veth 1878 - 1925

This is a letter, ‘Brief aan Jan Veth’, written in 1893 by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. The artist has used ink on paper, and his penmanship is very expressive. The materiality of the letter itself speaks volumes. Look at the texture of the paper, its slight yellowing with age. You can almost feel the fibres, the way the ink would have bled ever so slightly into its surface. The dark ink contrasts starkly against the light paper, creating a rhythm of marks across the page. Notice how some lines are thick and bold, while others are thin and hesitant. It feels like the artist is confiding in us. The letter references a Vincent exhibition, and you can see in the script something of Van Gogh’s own frenetic energy. It's all part of an ongoing conversation, where artists respond to each other across time, each adding their own voice to the mix. Art isn't about fixed meanings. It’s about embracing ambiguity, sparking conversations, and opening up new ways of seeing and thinking.