Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1918

This letter, addressed to Philip Zilcken, was made in 1918 by Henry Asselin. It’s ink on paper, and right away, the evenness of the lines strikes me. It’s so consistent, like each letter is a little soldier standing in formation. Looking closer, you can see places where the ink pools, giving certain words a heavier, darker presence. It’s a reminder of the physical act of writing, the hand applying pressure, the ink flowing. The letter is dated November 20th, 1918, right at the close of the First World War. It's so amazing to see the handwriting of someone from that time. It reminds me of the letters from Fairfield Porter to his wife Anne, which are so full of life and immediacy. It’s like grabbing a thread of a conversation that’s been going on for centuries, a reminder that art, like life, is just one big, messy, beautiful conversation.