Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1922 - 1929

This is the back of a postcard to Philip Zilcken, written by Vittorio Pica in 1922. The ink is thin and watery, kind of translucent, like an early color test. I love the way Pica doesn't seem to fuss too much over the words themselves, but allows the shapes of the letters to create a gestural dance across the card. You can almost feel the nib of his pen scratching and gliding. The postmark sits right on top, blurring and smudging the elegant hand writing. Look at the way the ink pools in the downstrokes, creating dark, concentrated masses, especially in the signature. See how it bleeds slightly into the paper's surface? That's where the character of the message truly lies, not in the content but the touch. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scribbled paintings, which are more about the act of writing than the writing itself. Art is like that, an ongoing conversation.