Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1912

This letter to Philip Zilcken was written with ink on paper by Joseph Pennell, and it feels like a peek into a very specific, fleeting moment. I love seeing the artist’s hand so directly in the work; the loops and curves of the letters are almost like brushstrokes. You can imagine him in the act of writing, maybe in a rush, thinking about travel plans and meetings. I wonder if he paused, pen in hand, considering the best way to phrase something. The ink looks kind of watery, pooling in places, which gives a sense of immediacy. I see echoes of other artist correspondences, Van Gogh writing to his brother Theo, or Frida Kahlo to Diego Rivera. It’s like Pennell is joining a conversation that stretches across time, each artist sharing a piece of themselves through the written word. It makes you think about how we communicate and connect, and how those simple gestures can carry so much weight.