Brief aan Philip Zilcken before 1898

Curator: Looking at this letter, its primary purpose being communication, how do you respond to this piece by Jan Toorop? This work on paper, dating from before 1898, employs pen and ink. It's currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's a very intimate artifact. I sense the labor embedded in the careful strokes of ink. The script gives the work an element of care in its construction, which almost suggests this was a close bond. The physical act of handwriting itself makes me think about the nature of correspondence back then and how valuable it must have been. Curator: Precisely. It exists both as a personal message but it exists within a wider history of Dutch Symbolism, of art nouveau, with a strong focus on expression and spirituality in art production. So how does this impact your reading of this artifact? Editor: Given this historical placement and the artist’s identity, the letter takes on an additional layer. We might then consider the materiality of the paper and ink used, were they easily available to him, did the quality reflect class and artistic positioning? Did these constrain him or not? The work of handwriting suddenly feels heavier as a concept and practice. Curator: Exactly. We can think about how social hierarchies influence and shape access to the tools for artmaking and correspondence, like quality paper or specialized inks, as you said. Editor: Absolutely. This changes how we appreciate what might otherwise feel like a simple gesture of sending someone a note. It invites discussions about identity, material worth, and what has historically been valued from the hand of certain individuals versus the devalued labor of others. Curator: It reminds us that even the simplest objects have complex stories intertwined within them related to society. I will leave pondering that further as you move onward. Editor: I leave pondering these very concepts with an added awareness as I navigate the space.