Handschrift after 6

Curator: Let’s delve into this intriguing piece, Jan Veth’s "Handschrift" from after 1906, held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s ink on paper, a seemingly simple monochrome drawing. Editor: It looks like a page filled with handwritten notes or perhaps a draft of something? It's quite dense and gives off a feeling of intense thought and perhaps even secrecy, I am curious what you make of it. Curator: The intimacy of handwriting itself speaks volumes. It's not merely about the words, but the *hand* that formed them – reflecting the personality and context of Jan Veth. As a drawing of calligraphy, we could consider that each element is performative, marking a cultural, gendered and classed intention to not simply write, but to leave a record and impression through his handwriting. Veth was a man of letters, closely linked to intellectual and artistic circles. Considering this, do you think his choice of Dutch is a form of social signaling? Editor: Social signaling...interesting thought! It certainly feels very intentional now that you mention his intellectual and social standing. Is it common to see handwriting presented this way? Curator: While handwriting was essential to daily life, Veth elevates it, almost enshrining the act of writing as an art form and potentially alluding to social conventions about language use, intellect and even personal identity. In the way a painter renders a portrait to tell the viewer who they are, this offers another insight, through the act of inscription, into identity. In looking closely, what statements can we see beyond what is said on the page itself? Editor: I see it now—the density, the almost frantic pace of the writing...it adds to the story of Jan Veth and the potential deeper significance and context surrounding handwriting. Curator: Exactly. It encourages us to reconsider seemingly mundane historical sources as loaded with cultural and social meaning. Editor: It makes me want to look more closely at people’s notebooks in archives now, the drawing becomes a lens!