Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1901 - 1912

Here's an old postcard, addressed by Willy Sluiter to Philip Zilcken, its surface a creamy off-white with the trace of a message. Look at the loops and swoops, the dance of ink across the page, not so different to how I lay paint down, responding to the pull of the medium. I wonder what it might have felt like for Sluiter to send this off? What thoughts were running through their head as the pen moved, each stroke deliberate yet fluid? Were they thinking of form, colour and line? Were they thinking of another artist, and how their work might resonate in return? It reminds me that every gesture, every line we make as artists is imbued with intention. We’re not just replicating what we see, but interpreting, feeling, and making. Every mark is part of a conversation, an exchange of ideas. It’s why artists keep painting and writing to each other, I guess. Trying to make sense of it all.