Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1904 - 1923

This is a letter to Philip Zilcken, written in 1904 by Frederik Salberg. It’s a lovely, intimate peek into a moment in time, but you know, to me, all writing is a kind of drawing. Look at the handwriting itself. The ink is pale, almost ghost-like, the strokes varying in pressure, creating a rhythm across the page. See how the loops and curves of the letters almost dance, the downstrokes grounded and darker. It’s like a delicate web, each word a little knot holding the thought together. In the second paragraph, the word ‘Kintje’ almost floats, the ascenders and descenders creating a lightness. You can imagine Salberg with his pen, leaning into the page, each word a conscious act. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, whose scribbles feel like secret messages, intimate and ephemeral. It makes you think about the physicality of writing, the way we use our bodies to communicate. Every letter, like every brushstroke, is a decision.