Brief aan Anna Dorothea Dirks 1875 - 1929

This letter to Anna Dorothea Dirks was written by Isaac Israels in The Hague, April 12th, 1921. I like how intimate it is, like a secret note. Israels' handwriting here, with its looping ascenders and descenders, feels immediate and personal. Look at the way the ink pools in certain spots, creating these denser, darker moments amidst the thinner, fainter strokes. You can almost feel the pressure of his hand on the page. The whole thing has an improvisational energy, a direct transmission of thought onto paper. It’s like, forget perfect calligraphy; this is about getting the message across, capturing a fleeting moment. I think of Cy Twombly, with his scribbled gestures, or even some of the more frantic Dadaist manifestos. This letter reminds us that art doesn't always need to be grand or monumental. Sometimes, the most profound statements are the simplest, scribbled in the heat of the moment.