Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen Possibly 1887

Editor: This is "Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen," or "Letter to Frans Buffa and Sons," thought to be from 1887 by Willem Bastiaan Tholen, done in pen and ink on paper. There’s something so personal about seeing someone's handwriting; it feels very intimate. What do you see in this piece, beyond the obvious of it being a letter? Curator: Well, you know, I immediately feel like I’ve stumbled into Tholen’s private world, his most vulnerable thoughts splashed across the page, as raw and unfiltered as morning light. It's a bit like finding a forgotten time capsule, isn't it? A snapshot of a moment frozen in ink. You can almost sense the artist’s breath as he meticulously forms each letter. It gives this incredible weight to each word and phrase. Editor: So, the act of handwriting itself becomes part of the art? Curator: Precisely! The choice of ink, the pressure he applied, the flourishes – they become a visual symphony, expressing perhaps more than the words themselves convey. Is the handwriting rushed, deliberate, even messy? What does that tell us? We should ask ourselves if that frenetic energy reflects urgency in the writer. This reminds us that creativity is not merely in grandiose concepts, but also within quiet acts. Even scribbling a letter. Editor: I never really thought about handwriting carrying so much artistic information! Curator: Life whispers its secrets through such modest art! Editor: Looking at something as commonplace as a letter in this new way changes how I look at everything else now. Thank you.