Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1919

This is a letter, "Brief aan Philip Zilcken," made in 1919 by Rose Imel. The overall impression is one of intimacy and immediacy. The letter is written in French, in a handwriting which suggests a certain kind of urgency, doesn't it? The ink is consistent in tone, but there’s a slight variation in pressure, giving the lines a pulsating quality, like a heartbeat. Notice how some words are more carefully formed, while others seem to rush ahead, almost collapsing into each other. See the crossings out and corrections, these give you a sense of the writer's thought process. The material itself – paper and ink – adds to the effect. The slightly yellowed paper hints at the passage of time, while the dark ink provides a strong contrast, making the words leap out at you. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly's scribbled paintings, where the act of writing becomes a form of drawing. Both artists share a love of the imperfect and the incomplete, embracing the beauty of the gesture and the mark.