Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1913 - 1925

This postcard to Philip Zilcken was made by Alphonse Stengelin at some point – it’s got that old world feel. I’m drawn to the way the writing sprawls across the card, a cascade of thoughts and ink. It’s got that same feeling you get with some Cy Twombly works, where the gestures feel so urgent and personal. I wonder what Stengelin was thinking as he wrote this? Was he in a hurry, or did he carefully consider each word? The handwriting itself becomes a kind of drawing, the loops and lines creating their own rhythm. The stamp and the postmark, add another layer to the composition. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation with each other, even across time and distance. This postcard, with its mix of text and image, feels like a little piece of that ongoing dialogue, passed hand to hand.