Brief aan Jan Veth 1920 - 1925

This letter, created by Isaac Israels, was penned in 1922 with ink on paper. Look at the marks of the pen as it glides and scratches across the page. The lines are quick, yet deliberate, giving the impression of constant motion, of thought captured in real time. Imagine Israels in Java, writing to his friend. You can sense his thoughts tumbling out, a mix of personal news and travel updates. His words seem restless, mirroring his journeys between different places and encounters. The material presence of the letter—the paper, the ink, the handwriting—creates an intimate connection with the artist. The letter becomes a form of embodied expression, a way of capturing a moment in time and sharing it with another person. As artists, we are always in dialogue with one another. The act of writing this letter becomes an act of connection, a reminder of the shared human experience that transcends time and place.