Brief aan Jan Veth Possibly 1900 - 1918

This is a letter written by Wally Moes to Jan Veth in 1900. The immediacy of the writing makes you feel as though you were reading over the artist's shoulder. Look at the slant of the handwriting, and the way it varies throughout the page. You can almost trace her hand as it moves across the paper. Note how sometimes the ink is darker where she has paused, or applied more pressure to the pen. The pale yellow of the paper gives the impression of age and hints at the fragility of the written word. The repeated looping forms of the letters contrast with the overall angularity of the text, softening the effect. Look particularly at the descenders of the letters, and how they hook back on themselves. It makes you think about the importance of every stroke in constructing a whole. It reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint's automatic drawings. Both show an interest in automatism, in mark-making that has an intuitive, almost unconscious quality.