Brief aan Jan Ponstijn en Henriëtte Johanna Petronella van Hilten Possibly 1933 - 1939

This letter to Jan Ponstijn and Henriëtte Johanna Petronella van Hilten was made by Leo Gestel in 1933. I love the directness of letters. They're so process-oriented, really capturing a moment in time through the act of writing. You can see the texture of the paper and the ink bleeding slightly, making each word a little fuzzy. Look at the way the lines tilt and curve, following the rhythm of Gestel's thoughts as he puts them down on paper. There's something intimate about seeing someone's handwriting. In the top right corner, the date "7 Sept. '33" is written with a confident hand. It's like a little anchor, grounding the letter in a specific moment. The handwriting feels both casual and deliberate, creating a sense of immediacy. It reminds me a bit of Cy Twombly's scribbled notes. Both capture a kind of raw, unfiltered energy. Art doesn't need to be perfect or polished. Sometimes, it's the imperfections, the little quirks, that make it feel real.