Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1927

This letter to Philip Zilcken, by Marie-Louise Figuel, is made with ink on paper. It's all about the process, right? It's handwriting, so the form of the letters tells us so much, even without reading the words themselves. I love the density of the marks, a dark blue on an off-white ground. Each word a little drawing, a concentrated burst of energy on the page. It's intimate, a gesture made to connect. Look at the flourish of the ‘M’ in monsieur, a real statement! A little loop that tells you about the person who wrote it. The controlled pressure of the nib. Thinking about the energy and intimacy of handwriting makes me think of Cy Twombly's scribbled paintings. It reminds us that art is always a conversation, a set of echoes through time. And that really, meaning is in the making.