Brief aan Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk Possibly 1903 - 1917

Curator: Welcome! We're standing before a fascinating piece titled "Brief aan Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk" by Hendrik Johannes Haverman. It’s speculated to have been created sometime between 1903 and 1917, and it's currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first impression? It feels incredibly personal. Just seeing the cursive, the way the ink bleeds slightly into the paper – it's like stumbling upon a hidden thought. Curator: Absolutely. It's pen and ink on paper, a direct communication. Haverman, writing to Pieter Haverkorn van Rijsewijk, engages in a very material exchange. We see his hand, his intention, quite unfiltered. The labour of writing itself becomes visible, as a record. Editor: It does give off the feeling of sitting in on a private conversation. Almost voyeuristic! I wonder what Haverman was trying to express and how the recipient would have received his request, like reading someone's journal over their shoulder and piecing it together. Curator: Haverman was, in a way, participating in a system. Pen and ink were everyday materials, yet used here, they form a unique artifact. And considering this is addressed to Rotterdam... the network of exchange, artistic, economic even, is really evident. Editor: Right, there’s something deeply human about that. Not a grand statement of artistic purpose, but a quiet moment captured in ink. It makes me reflect on the ephemerality of the art making. We look at so many other kinds of work and marvel at them for thousands of years - then sometimes you stumble across the small work and are stuck silent. Curator: A small slice of life materialized through very specific choices. It invites contemplation on the value and meaning we place on such seemingly simple objects, don't you think? Editor: Precisely. Looking closely kind of takes me back in time to imagine being someone on the other side. Thank you.