Brief aan Philip Zilcken before 1927

This is a letter, written in French, in blue ink on paper by Cato l' Hôpital. I love the way handwriting, any handwriting, but especially this handwriting, tells a story of gesture. You can almost see the hand moving across the page. The ink is a striking blue, and it's applied with such consistency – a solid stream of consciousness. Look at how the loops in the "l" and "b" create a rhythm, pulling you across the words. It's so full of personality, yet also slightly obscured, especially if you don't read French! I'm reminded a bit of Cy Twombly, who worked with handwriting, too, but with way more mess and sprawl. Here, everything is compact, controlled. It's a really intriguing dance between intention and accident, communication and obfuscation. Art is full of those!