Brief aan Mien Cambier van Nooten Possibly 1938

This letter was written by Dick Ket to Mien Cambier van Nooten, in 1938. The handwriting is delicate and looping, creating a visual texture that almost obscures the words. I love how the ink pools and thins, revealing the pressure and speed of his hand. There’s a real physicality to this object, even in its digital form. You can almost feel the paper’s grain, imagine the scratching of the nib across the surface. Each stroke is a little dance, a tiny performance captured in ink. Look at the way some letters connect, forming unexpected bridges, while others stand alone, defiant. The slant and pressure of the lines give us a sense of his energy, his mood at that moment. It makes me think of Cy Twombly’s scribbled canvases, but with a touch of Dutch precision. Ket's letter reminds us that art is not just about the finished product, but also about the process, the intimate connection between the artist and the medium.