Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1902 - 1909

Theo van Hoytema wrote this letter to Philip Zilcken in 1902, and what I see here is not just a note, but a study in the art of making marks. The density of the marks creates a kind of visual texture, as if the words are huddling together on the page. Look closely, and you’ll see the ink varies in darkness, suggesting the changing pressure of the pen, the rhythm of his thoughts. The script leans and curls, each stroke a little dance. And notice how the words aren't evenly spaced; some are almost touching, others have a breath of space around them. It's like a little landscape of language. For me, this piece is about the feel of language. Think about Cy Twombly, not just in the obvious connection of handwriting, but also in the openness of the gesture, and the invitation to find meaning in the spaces between.