Brief aan Anna Dorothea Dirks Possibly 1928

This is a letter to Anna Dorothea Dirks, likely written in Amsterdam, December 10th, 1928, by Johanna Henriëtte Besier. Look at the cursive, how each word is a gesture, a little dance of the pen. It's like a heartbeat on paper, right? I'm always fascinated by the physicality of art, whether it’s paint, or graphite, or ink. Here, the ink creates a rhythm, the looping letters forming a kind of landscape across the page. Notice how some areas are darker, more intense, while others are light and airy. It’s like the artist is breathing onto the paper, controlling the pressure and speed with an almost musical sensitivity. The texture comes from the absorbency of the paper, a rough surface which gives each stroke a subtle imperfection. This attention to process reminds me of Cy Twombly. Like Twombly, Besier shows us that art is not just about what you see, but how you see, how you feel the movement of the hand, the weight of the medium, and the story it tells.