Brief aan Jan Ponstijn en Henriëtte Johanna Petronella van Hilten Possibly 1937

Curator: We're looking at "Brief aan Jan Ponstijn en Henriëtte Johanna Petronella van Hilten," a letter created by Leo Gestel, likely around 1937, now held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought is just the intimacy of it. It’s a handwritten letter, you can almost feel Gestel’s presence through the page, right? The personal connection is really striking. Curator: Absolutely. Gestel, though known more for his painting, demonstrates an interesting commitment to written correspondence here, especially to fellow artists, Jan Ponstijn and Henriëtte van Hilten. You know, the art world relies on those personal connections. It makes me consider the role letter-writing played in artistic discourse during that period. Editor: It's created with ink on paper – such basic components that have enormous historical implications, don't they? And look closely, you can even see the pressure he exerted with the pen; It reminds us how materials shape meaning, even when we think of materials like "ink" and "paper" as almost without substance. Curator: Yes! The physical creation of this work in tandem with this artist's network gives me some insight on this social moment for him. What he said in the note about supporting the arts through a “premium” to artists really says a lot. Editor: Exactly, we understand how that premium enables or constrains Gestel to create something, and by reading it as a text instead of image, what stands out about the materiality is the writing. Is it fast? Is it thoughtful? It affects how we might consume this piece as a complete object, in this museum today. Curator: Good point! For me, the beauty lies in the artifact itself, showcasing both the social connections and art’s patronage within this avant-garde circle of Gestel’s world. Editor: Well, looking at this really emphasizes how an artwork is more than its appearance—it's a cultural artifact and the product of real labor.