Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1906

Cornelis Gerardus 't Hooft made this letter to Jan Veth with ink on paper. Look at the curves and lines! It's like a dance of the hand, so deliberate yet free. You can feel the artist in the writing, the pressure and release. It's so immediate, like a sketch. I love how the dark ink sits on the page, the texture almost palpable. The way the script flows, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, creates a rhythm that pulls you along. The ink pools in certain spots, giving weight and presence to the words. Notice the flourish at the top of the ‘B’ in ‘Beste Jan’ - it's so casual and assured. It’s like the artist is having a conversation with you. The mark making in this letter reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scribbles, where language becomes pure gesture. Both embrace the beauty of imperfection, the poetry of the incomplete. Art is about making marks, not necessarily meaning!