Brief aan Jan Veth 1878 - 1925

This letter was written by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst to Jan Veth in Amsterdam in 1893, using ink on paper. I love the intimacy of this handwritten note – you can see the artist's hand, his thoughts flowing right onto the page, mistakes and all. It's like a peek into his mind. The lines are so direct, and the ink is dark against the off-white paper. It's unassuming, yet so revealing. It's interesting to observe how the script varies in pressure and pace, mirroring the shifting sentiments conveyed in the text. Notice the loops and curls of certain letters, almost like little drawings, reflecting the artist’s emotional state while writing. It’s not just about the words, but the feeling behind them. This piece reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbled paintings, both capturing a sense of immediacy and personal expression through the act of writing and mark-making. Art, in its essence, is a conversation – a continuous exchange of ideas across time.