Letters from Artists: How Artists’ Words Change What We See

Many artists maintain rich writing practices—letters, journals, and personal reflections—that are rarely discussed alongside their visual work. Yet these writings often reveal how artists process, question, and give meaning to what we see on the canvas. In this course, we explore how artists’ own words can transform the way we experience their work, pairing paintings with excerpts from letters and journals to uncover new layers of meaning. We begin with the emotional and expressive writings of Vincent van Gogh, followed by the disciplined observations and evolving vision of Claude Monet. We then turn to questions of visibility and voice through artists such as Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt, before expanding the conversation to include Henry Ossawa Tanner and Frida Kahlo. We conclude by considering writing as a form of memory and storytelling in the work of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson.