Visitekaartje aan Philip Zilcken before 1919

Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande made this card with graphite on paper, like a painter uses oil on canvas. You know, sometimes the most throwaway sketches can be deeply revealing. Look at the elegant loops and flourishes of his handwriting as it trails across the card. There’s something so deliberate about it. It feels like he’s etching words into the paper, each stroke considered, like a calligraphic dance. I wonder what he was thinking as he wrote this? It is the equivalent of a painter rapidly making studies on paper. Was it a moment of quiet reflection, or a quick note dashed off in the midst of a busy day? I imagine him pausing, pen in hand, considering the weight of each word, each connection. It's a humble object, but it holds a certain beauty. Just like painters, writers and artists are in an ongoing conversation, across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.