Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1919

This is a vintage postcard to Philip Zilcken, probably made in 1919 by the Swiss artist Alphonse Stengelin. Think about Stengelin taking the time to drop Zilcken a line. Maybe he's thinking about his friend’s artistic life in Paris, the address written neatly on the card. The handwriting here, thick and thin with the movement of the pen, makes me wonder about the thoughts he wanted to share. Was it a quick hello, or something more? You can see how the gesture of writing becomes a trace of his intention. The stamp in the corner, with its stoic, bearded figure, it’s all part of the communication. It reminds me that artists, whether through painting or even just a postcard, are always talking to each other, across time and space, in a big, messy, ongoing conversation. And we get to listen in.