Brief aan Philip Zilcken after 4

Curator: The Rijksmuseum holds a delicate letter in its collection, entitled "Brief aan Philip Zilcken," penned by Maurits van der Valk. It's an ink and pen drawing, with an air of casual formality. What strikes you first about this piece? Editor: It’s the handwriting. The calligraphic strokes remind me of another era—it's imbued with melancholy and perhaps… resignation? There's an elegance to it, even in what appears to be a simple note. Curator: Absolutely. Van der Valk was corresponding with the art critic Philip Zilcken, and this seems to be a letter offering condolences, judging from the phrase "van mijn hartelijke deelneming," which translates to “of my sincere sympathy”. You know, handwriting, in itself, is such an intimate and individualized form of expression, even if we aren’t quite sure when it was composed "after 4". Editor: You're right; the gesture of condolence carries a particular weight, and it says so much that we have the trace of Van der Valk’s emotions rendered through ink and paper, saved to last for us. The looping, flowing script feels so human, especially juxtaposed against our modern digital communication. But why preserve such a personal artifact in a museum? What can it tell us about Van der Valk as a public figure? Curator: It offers a window into the artistic networks and relationships of the time. Zilcken, as a prominent critic, wielded considerable influence, and this letter highlights the social dynamics within the art world of that era. Also, the act of writing itself was deeply ingrained in social interactions and I feel its presence, it symbolizes a slower, more thoughtful pace of communication now lost to history. It brings me to appreciate the deep continuity with our human nature: offering condolences for death of dear one, being always painful regardless the year. Editor: I think you have hit a point. I see a reflection of myself offering these same words of sympathy across time through this artifact, in all honesty. Well, thinking about it, it may seem simple from a distance, but seeing such immediate gestures preserved speaks to what endures.