Brief aan jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout (1879-1969) Possibly 1932

This is a letter by Henri van der Stok to jonkheer Hendrik Teding van Berkhout, dating from December 25th, 1932. The handwriting dances across the page, a flurry of dark ink against the pale paper. It's like a little choreography of thought, each word a gesture, a brushstroke. Looking at the density of the script, the way the letters crowd together and then stretch out, I’m reminded that artmaking is also a process of communication. The letter is a physical thing, a surface with texture and tone, even though it's mostly about the message it conveys. See how the lines sometimes wobble? It’s as though the pen hesitated, changed its mind, or got carried away. It is reminiscent of Cy Twombly and his scribbled poems, or the automatic writing of the Surrealists. It’s about letting go, trusting the hand, and embracing the unexpected.