Brief aan Willem Roelofs (I) Possibly 1853

Curator: This is “Brief aan Willem Roelofs (I)” by David Bles, likely from 1853, using ink on paper. The Romanticism style is striking here, isn’t it? It's a personal letter, really, so how does its medium and form speak to you? Editor: Well, the handwriting makes it feel very intimate and personal. You get a sense of the artist's own hand, and it makes me wonder about the relationship between Bles and Roelofs. Considering its at the Rijksmuseum, a Dutch National Museum, is this artist notable in Dutch Art History? Curator: Yes, exactly. Bles had a clear view to make a statement through these personal items being stored in museums. Romanticism was very engaged with a sentimental reading of things, but how can we consider that within socio-political tensions, such as, possibly, Dutch colonialism and its relationship to this 'sentimentality' that's found with relationships, the concept of 'nation' in this case? Editor: That’s a complex thought. The personal nature of the letter clashes a bit with its place in a large institution. Did preserving letters and other such intimate artifacts challenge or affirm how a Romantic nation conceived of themselves? Curator: It definitely walks that line, doesn’t it? These intimate expressions became documents and items to view publicly, shaping a certain national story. How might access to these kinds of documents, or the ways museums showcase such objects, play into larger power dynamics, do you think? Editor: Hmm, I never considered the display itself to be an argument in some way... Thinking about it this way gives new value to seemingly 'simple' things such as love letters! Curator: Indeed. It also tells us that it is possible to read even the smallest, most fragile art in dialogue with monumental historical processes. Editor: Fascinating. It is a very layered item once we consider what it presents in tandem with it's medium! Thank you!