Brief aan jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout (1879-1969) Possibly 1932 - 1939

This letter to Jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout was sent by Frederika Henriëtte Broeksmit. It is a little tableau of administration and communication. You can imagine the artist drafting this letter, pen in hand, the ink flowing deliberately to form each word, each address, a small performance of precision and purpose. I wonder, what was Frederika thinking as she penned the words "De Directeur van s Rijks Prentenkabinet"? It’s interesting to consider the life of a painted mark versus a written one. Both leave traces, right? They are the residue of a gesture. It reminds me of On Kawara’s date paintings, where the simple act of marking the date becomes profound. It makes you think about Broeksmit's wider artistic practice. What else was she making at the time? Are there other letters, other traces of her existence, waiting to be discovered? Artists are always in conversation, across time and space, picking up where others left off, riffing on old themes, and starting new ones.