Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1908 - 1927

This “Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken” by N.J. Singels appears to have been made with ink on card stock, and you can see how the artist works through language here, feeling around for the right word, but also using the marks of the stamp and the address as a texture. I can see Singels at his desk, maybe a little distracted, thinking about Zilcken, but also maybe thinking about what it means to send a message and how each word and placement communicates feeling, intention, and meaning. The ink is thin, yet deliberate, as if each stroke were a meditation. Look at how the ink bleeds ever so slightly into the card, creating these quiet halos. It reminds me a little bit of Twombly’s use of writing and words as marks, a kind of personal language. There’s something intimate here, a conversation between artists, across time, that makes me want to pick up a pen myself! It’s this ongoing exchange of ideas, the way we inspire each other, that keeps the creative process alive. It's about embracing the ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple readings.