Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1897

This is a postcard to Philip Zilcken, likely dating from the late 19th century and penned by Johannes de Koo. The composition is dominated by the superimposition of text and postal markings. The arrangement of stamps, seals, and handwriting creates a visual rhythm across the surface, a dance between legibility and abstraction. The formal elements here—the careful penmanship contrasted with the blunt force of postal stamps—invite us to consider the semiotics of communication. Each mark, each choice of script, tells a silent story about the sender, the recipient, and the social context of their exchange. What we see is not just a message transmitted but a carefully constructed artifact, where the act of sending and receiving is imbued with layers of meaning that transcend the literal content of the note. It challenges our understanding of what constitutes an artwork and how meaning can be constructed through everyday objects.