Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen Possibly 1876

Curator: Editor: Here we have "Brief aan Frans Buffa en Zonen", or "Letter to Frans Buffa and Sons," made possibly in 1876 by Philip Sadée. It’s a drawing in ink on paper, currently held in the Rijksmuseum. It has such delicate and graceful handwriting. What can you tell me about this letter? Curator: Ah, a letter! Letters are little time capsules, aren't they? This one whispers secrets from The Hague in 1876. Imagine Sadée hunched over his desk, the scratch of his pen a tiny symphony. You see how the ink almost dances on the page? What do you imagine he might be saying, selling? It's interesting it looks almost like he is making sure his words are clear. Editor: It's true that some words look like he has gone over them. Do you think that changes how we might view it? Curator: Oh, absolutely! That hesitation, that retracing, tells a story too. Perhaps doubt? Reassurance? It makes it somehow more alive, doesn’t it? Art isn’t always about perfection, is it? Editor: Not at all! So, seeing this as more than just communication, how do we fit this into Sadée's other work, maybe landscapes? Curator: Well, thinking of landscape... Isn't there a vista, a little emotional landscape too, on the page. You read that slight of hand in the drawing. Editor: I do like the perspective shift you pointed out, reading art within the letter! Thanks. Curator: My pleasure, who knows, we might find a postcard or two one day.