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"Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink." – A.S. Byatt
Gone are the days of letters popping out of letter boxes and anxious hands to collect them after a long haul waiting. In an age of emojis and TikToks, the art of letter writing might seem as outdated as riding a scooter moped! Yet, letters have always served the purpose of communication more than just conveying ‘How are you?’ Letters and letter writing have always been an indispensable part of correspondence, intimate or official, in any genre of communication as such. Did you know that letters were used as artistic props in master creations by some legendary painters? Let’s get a little curious about how artists and painters have seen this significant act of messaging, filled with romance, anticipation, mystery and melodrama back then. In this blog, let’s take a fascinating journey with the great artists like Johannes Vermeer, John Callcott Horsley, or Caspar David Friedrich capturing the essence of letter writing in their artworks. We will also visit some artistic letters framed by Pablo Picasso, the great cubist painter. They have made dull communications a plot for elegant portrayals.
Explore the beauty of Johannes Vermeer’s candlelit musings to John Callcott Horsley’s Victorian styles, where letters have been an element of awe, clandestine affair, or unlocking some mystery. Here we’ll explore how these creative minds immortalized the romance of letter writing in art—and why it still matters.
Johannes Vermeer: Letters as Windows to the Soul
Johannes Vermeer, that Dutch master painter was much acclaimed for turning domestic scenes and interiors into works of art, captured in soft lighting. Vermeer paintings have a signature style of contemplative gazes. In his ‘Woman in Blue Reading a Letter’ (1663-1664) one can see that the woman is quite lost in the world of letters, and her expression is intense, deep, and contemplative. The light pouring in from the window (obvious guess) makes it clear that the letter carries something substantial, something good or bad, an invitation call, or maybe something as mushy as a love letter! We keep guessing. That is the beauty of Vermeer’s paintings, to make the simple things carry the weight of the world.
In his other creation ‘The Love Letter’ (1669-1670), a maid is seen handing a letter to her mistress; just watch the intrigue! The letter might have a romantic tryst in it! Vermeer effortlessly weaves an element of awe, secrecy, and whispers into the theme of love letters. The use of light and shadow also plays a vital role to fix the ‘caught and bowled’ look of the mistress! She appears to be in a fix—and we’re here for it.
Gerard Ter Borch: Digging Deep into the Letters
In his work ‘Woman Writing a Letter,’ Gérard Ter Borch, another Dutch painter portrays a beautiful damsel, most probably his model, caught in an intimate moment of writing a letter. Maybe it is addressed to her beloved! We are fascinated to see her using a quill in her hand for writing, instead of a tab or a snapchat device, and the elegance with which Ter Borch has portrayed her, in an immersive mood, shows her emotional state of mind.
John Callcott Horsley: The Morning of St. Valentine
Let’s fast forward to a couple of centuries back when the 19th century British painter, artist, John Callcott Horsley, painted the ‘Morning of St. Valentine’ with such intricate details of a young Victorian beauty holding a letter arrogantly while she was engaged with her own reflections in the mirror. In this grand oil painting Horsley paints a Valentine’s Day morning where a boy delivering letters can be seen in the background! Yes, Horsley, the great illustrator and designer was the one who gave us one of the world’s most popular forms of letters—the Christmas card.
What is intriguing is that the letters in the paintings are not just about messages; they’re about portraying the emotions behind the scribbles. Think of today’s love tweets with a scoop of melodrama.
The Letter by Mary Cassatt, 1890-91
Another one remarkable letter writing scene by American artist Mary Cassatt shows a woman sealing the letter in deft hands after she’s finished with writing. There’s a significant diversion of the emotional handling of the woman with the letter, in a more casual and concentrated fashion, as if doing some routine work. The sealing of the letter shows a casual style, with less intrigue and less mystery, while the artist artfully blends the contemporary western vibes with traditional Japanese printmaking style in the objects of the painting.
The Night Letter, Eldzier Cortor, 1938
Eldzier Cortor, a pivotal artist in the Black Chicago Renaissance movement, was fascinated to paint characters from daily lives of urban black folks and household scenes. His oil painting ‘The Night Letter’ showcases a young girl apparently upset with the content of a letter, laying in front of her. There is an older woman seated beside the table, holding a Bible, maybe seeking some kind of assurance and hope. The central characters of Cortor’s paintings show a bold narrative, including the resilience of black women.
Letters with Symbolism and Hidden Meanings Galore
For artists like Jean-Édouard Vuillard, a Post-Impressionist, letters weren’t just a mention of hello, or ‘dear someone’, they were more about expressing deep feelings. He loved painting cozy home scenes like Vermeer. His ‘Interior with Woman Writing a Letter (1895)’ also showcases a woman writing a letter, pouring her deep thoughts into it (or just writing a shopping list?). Either way, the scene feels personal and meaningful.
Caspar David Friedrich, known for his extravagantly lush landscapes, also used letters in his art. Letters for him symbolized spiritual journeys and deep thoughts about life. These artists could even make sense of our online chats feel important and something relevant in art.
Letters as Narratives in Art: Soap Opera Style
Adding an element like a letter in paintings adds more meaning to it, right? The viewer can make out a plot, and suddenly we have a story to relate to! Lots of uneasy questions start to huddle inside our minds, just like in the ‘Love Letter’ by Vermeer, the mistress is under deep scrutiny of the maid’s gaze while she looks at her reading the letter; the tension is quite apparent. The beauty lies here in creating this element of awe and mystery—we’ll never know what was written there, but we will ever keep guessing!
When an artist includes these bursts of suspense in art with the help of letters as props, they are invariably expecting the viewers to raise brows or looking for a dramatic pause! And, that gives a purpose to art.
Exceptional Letters by Pablo Picasso: Of Artsy Scribbles and Drawings
In an exceptional letter from Pablo Picasso, the man behind the cubist art movement, shows his artistic styles and scribbles addressed to Max Jacob, his friend and associate. They had a long connection in Paris and Jacob was the first to support Picasso’s abstract endeavors. There were extraordinary sketches to go with the letter – sketches of hands with extended arms, drawing of a couple for his study ‘Repas Frugal,’ and ‘Pauvre couple dans un café.’ In this letter Picasso pours his heart expressing his wish to stay in Paris and continue as a painter, in his initial periods of struggle as an artist. He was sharing the initial sketches he had made for his paintings with his friend Max Jacob.
In another illustrated letter to Jean Cocteau, the French poet and artist, Picasso sent a designed postcard wishing Jean’s speedy recovery. Cocteau wished Picasso could design the sets for his radical ballet production, ‘Parade.’ The ballet brought the Avant-Garde artists together like Cocteau, Erik Satie, and Picasso together to showcase a surreal life in cubist form. Picasso designed the costumes and the sets of the show.
Reloading the Long-Lost Romance of Letters in Art
‘To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.’
- Phyllis Theroux
When was the last time we got to write something intimate using pen and per instead of unlocking a phone? Vermeer and his followers remind us that in those times letter writing was something to be cherished, and kept as heirlooms, not something as messy as typos filling in with autocorrect. While going through these masterpieces we celebrate the age-old urge to stay in touch. Right from famous Dutch painters like Vermeer’s intimate interiors to Horsley’s dramatic scene, letters were included in art as a carrier of drama and emotion. No matter the period they were created, it is through the written words and cues that these visual artists tried to bring the viewers closer to their subjects.
Sure enough, we live in the age of interfaces and apps, far away from the charm of scribbling, that might in some cases look like a drunken spider taking a stroll on paper! Nevertheless, we have missed out on the suspense of receiving handwritten notes, without the notification ding. That way, legends like Vermeer used this intimacy and mystery linked with letters quite artistically to add a sense of animation to the otherwise quiet scenes. These works of art tell us to slow down a bit and look back to when sending a note lasted longer than a Snapchat.
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