Brief aan Anna Dorothea Dirks Possibly 1927

This letter to Anna Dorothea Dirks was written in 1929 by Johan Huizinga. Look at how the ink marks dance across the page. Each word is a little gesture, a reaching out to connect with someone. Imagine Huizinga sitting at his desk, pen in hand. He pauses, thinks, then the words flow, some bold and confident, others hesitant, almost shy. You can feel the rhythm of his thoughts in the loops and lines, the pressure of the pen on the paper. The handwriting, it’s not just words, it’s a map of a mind, a feeling. I see him, a scholar perhaps, lost in thought, but also a human being, wanting to connect, to share something of himself. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, of course, in its intimacy and openness. And isn't that what art is all about, this ongoing conversation across time? This urge to leave a mark, to say, "I was here, I felt this, I thought that." Huizinga’s letter is a reminder that even the simplest act of communication can be a work of art, a testament to our shared humanity.