Brief aan Greet Feuerstein c. 1915

This letter to Greet Feuerstein, by Jan Toorop, probably made with pen and ink, feels like a little painting in itself. I can imagine Toorop hunched over a desk, the pen scratching across the page, each word a deliberate stroke, a little dance of thought and feeling. You can see the artist really trying to connect, the letter's lines almost vibrate with energy, with looping forms and quirky angles. I feel like I'm right there with him, watching as he composes his thoughts. He recommends “large works with soft paintbrushes.” How amazing is that!? It reminds me of other artists who use language as material, like Cy Twombly scrawling poetry on his canvases, or even some of the concrete poets who treat words as visual forms. It's all part of this ongoing conversation, where artists riff off each other, finding new ways to express themselves. For Toorop, it's about embracing the messiness of life, accepting the many different ways of seeing and being in the world.