Brief aan de heer Van Emden Possibly 1848

Editor: We are looking at Johannes Bosboom’s “Brief aan de heer Van Emden,” likely from 1848, which resides in the Rijksmuseum. It's an ink drawing on paper, a humble letter presented as art. The faded ink gives the impression of looking at a secret document. What aspects of its visual construction stand out to you? Curator: The visual field of the letter teases the eye. Look closely at the marks, the quality of line, and the delicate hatching used to construct form. Notice also the formal play between script and blankness of the page: meaning and space vie for dominance. What kind of presence do those contrasting areas yield? Editor: They yield a stark, ephemeral, presence, like a ghost impression. But I wonder what the artist was thinking of. What makes this more than just a piece of writing? Curator: The formal relationship of word to page is the point; context is not our central concern. Note, for example, the spidery quality of the pen strokes themselves and how those create a certain mood through the aesthetic management of their application to the support. What is their weight and density? Are the letter-forms embellished and if so, what new relations do they forge? Editor: It seems you're less interested in *what* the letter says, and more in *how* it looks. The formal composition creates meaning of its own! I see how paying close attention to details reveals new insights. Curator: Precisely. This kind of aesthetic reading makes for more focused appreciation and rigorous understandings.