Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1907 - 1918

Curator: This mixed-media work on paper is titled "Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken." The attribution suggests Vittorio Pica as the sender, and we believe it originates from somewhere between 1907 and 1918. It's a fascinating glimpse into early 20th-century correspondence. Editor: You know, it gives me a strangely intimate feeling, peering at someone's old mail. The handwritten script, the aged paper…it feels like whispering secrets from the past. Curator: The visual texture certainly enhances that feeling. Consider the compositional elements. The stamp, the postmark, the different scripts—they create a complex yet balanced whole, a carefully arranged interplay of form and information. Note the faded ink of the handwritten address juxtaposed against the standardized print of the postcard itself, how that opposition underscores themes of the individual versus the institutional. Editor: I'm drawn to the handwriting—so personal, almost performative. And "Très-pressé"—urgent! One wonders what was so important, the essence of that human connection lost now to time, surviving only in impression. What could drive someone to quickly draft and deliver their thought on an unassuming paper such as this? Curator: Indeed. And let us examine the stamp itself. The allegorical figure depicted speaks to a national identity being deliberately and carefully cultivated. This particular image invites the viewer to understand this correspondence within its specific socio-political context. The material, humble, even banal—suddenly transcends. Editor: It's more than just socio-political to me, somehow it creates a portrait of two individuals—sender and receiver. A whole unseen relationship surfaces as I start connecting some basic facts, creating narratives about lives, thoughts and intentions! I am filled with stories just looking at a seemingly simple piece of mail! Curator: I can appreciate your subjective interpretation. By examining the relationship between text and image, typography and handwriting, institutional marking and individual expression we observe how all these levels intertwine, enriching the semiotic density. It serves as a good illustration of a world on the brink of monumental change, even a world that no longer is with the way we correspond these days. Editor: True! And as such it serves as a tangible record that now, it's our turn to weave these narratives from fleeting evidence of long ago lives! A true journey that has had me captivated since its opening glance.