Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1920

This postcard to Philip Zilcken, by Rose Imel, is a material snapshot of a moment in time. It’s almost faded and worn, like a whisper from the past. Look closely, you’ll see the texture of age, the stains that map a history of handling and travel. There is this pale, ghostly mark near the stamp, it could be a stain or could it be a shadow? The handwriting, elegant yet hurried, speaks of a personal message, now obscured by time and circumstance. Even the stamp, a portrait of a bygone era, adds to the sense of faded grandeur. The red ink has a faded look, as though it too is succumbing to the wear and tear of time. This postcard reminds me a little of Cy Twombly's work, who also used writing as mark-making. In the end, it's about the conversation between art and life, and how both are always changing, always in process.