Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1902 - 1917

This "Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken" is a pretty little watercolor Octave Maus dashed off, probably in his studio, using whatever paper and watercolors were at hand. I’m imagining Maus quickly brushing the transparent washes of watercolor onto the card, letting the strokes move and blend organically, maybe tilting the card to encourage gravity to do its thing. He’s clearly responding to the feel of the brush in his hand, the way the pigment blooms across the surface. The card is inscribed with a flourishy handwriting, not unlike my own. I love how it looks like he was trying to strike the perfect balance between control and chance. It reminds me of those games we play, surrendering to the materials and letting the process lead. I feel like I am in an ongoing conversation with artists like Maus.