Briefkaart aan Jan Toorop Possibly 1901 - 1928

Editor: So, this is "Briefkaart aan Jan Toorop," likely from between 1901 and 1928, by Willem Witsen. It's an ink and pen drawing on paper. It has an ephemerality that I find kind of charming. What do you see in it? Curator: It's interesting to consider this object as a product of specific social and economic conditions. A postcard itself represents a certain kind of democratization of communication –cheap, easily produced, and widely accessible. How does the choice of a readily available medium, like a postcard, and inexpensive materials, like pen and ink, affect its value as art? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn't thought of it that way! It feels very casual. Curator: Exactly. And consider the act of sending this to Jan Toorop, another artist. Is this a formal artistic statement, or a more personal, informal exchange? Perhaps the value lies less in the finished product, and more in the labor and exchange that went into creating and sending it? It disrupts traditional hierarchies between fine art and everyday communication, right? Editor: It does. I guess I was just thinking about the image, the handwriting. But you’re right, thinking about the exchange itself… it reframes everything. Does it matter what the actual message says? Curator: The content matters less than the material act of sending itself, right? How does that make you feel about the artwork now? Editor: I see it in a completely different way now. I wasn’t considering it in terms of production or the labor involved. It’s like the postcard itself is the statement. Curator: Precisely. And in that respect it touches upon many modern art ideals, but is, above all, an extremely functional and common thing elevated to artistic significance. Editor: Well, this was truly eye-opening. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Thinking about art in terms of its material production and social context always reveals new insights.