Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1908 - 1912

Curator: Ah, "Brief aan Philip Zilcken," possibly from between 1908 and 1912, a pen and ink drawing by Vittorio Pica. There's something incredibly intimate about handwritten correspondence elevated to art, wouldn't you say? It feels like eavesdropping on a private conversation. Editor: Absolutely. It feels incredibly personal, like stumbling upon a secret. What draws you to this piece? What story does it tell you? Curator: Well, I think we need to look beyond the text, don't you? It's so tempting to try and translate every word. But look at the pressure of the pen strokes, the urgency, the crossings-out. It's more than just the words themselves, it's about the act of writing, the pouring out of thoughts onto paper. Do you get a sense of that tension between revealing and concealing? Editor: I see what you mean! I was so focused on *reading* it that I missed the raw energy in the linework. Curator: It's a visual record of someone thinking, someone feeling. Letters, particularly from this period, carry so much weight, don’t they? They’re physical pieces of a person. Consider also that, at that time, few would consider a mere correspondence elevated as art. I imagine some seeing it as a note and nothing more! Editor: I never considered letters as objects containing art and historical value! Thinking about the layers adds new depths. Curator: Exactly! What I take away from it is not what Pica said but how he wanted to reveal what he feels inside him at the very instant the text touches the paper. It is not the literal but it is about what’s beyond, the soul touching our soul. Editor: I hadn't considered the emotional dimension that much; that is interesting. Thanks so much for helping me understand. Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Now, are you hungry? How about going for ice cream, what do you say?