Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1918

This letter to Philip Zilcken was written in 1918, and look at the colour! It's like a faded blush, a whispered secret on paper. I can imagine Rose Imel carefully choosing this paper, the pen, and the ink, each stroke deliberate, shaping words into elegant forms. It's a letter, not a painting, but the act of writing itself is a kind of drawing. It's so personal and gestural. It's like the artist is right here, confiding in us. Maybe the artist even had a bit of a stomach ache? Or maybe that's just me projecting! It's a reminder that art isn't just about grand statements, it can be about the small, everyday moments, the simple act of reaching out to another person. I can see this relating to other works where mark-making and the materiality of the medium are used to convey emotion. You know, it’s all connected. A painting, a letter, a sketch - it’s all about one artist speaking to another across time and space.