Brief aan Anna Dorothea Dirks Possibly 1926

This letter was composed by Aby Warburg in Hamburg, Germany in November 1926. The materiality of the letter itself is understated: thin paper with typewritten words. It’s a document really, yet Warburg treats this letter as an opportunity for connection. He expresses gratitude, shares personal news, and even delves into art history, all within a single page. Isn’t that just like life? There’s an emotional quality to the writing that you can feel through the formality of the type. I think about how letters like this were lifelines, connecting people across distances and cultures. The words are a record of his thought process, his connections, and his intellectual curiosity. Thinking about the medium of the letter opens up this dialogue around mark making, it’s interesting to see the difference between the typewritten text and the hand written signature. Looking at the work of someone like Cy Twombly perhaps we can see the potential for these elements to be combined, to create a unique form of expression which is neither entirely writing, nor entirely art.