Brief aan Philip Zilcken before 1912

So, what we have here is Arend Hijner’s letter to Philip Zilcken. It’s all these looping marks on paper, and it makes me think about the history of mark-making. Just imagine him holding the pen, thinking, pausing, moving, and feeling the texture of the paper under his hand, figuring out how to translate his thoughts into form. I love how each stroke varies in pressure and direction, giving the words weight and rhythm. You can feel the ink as a physical substance, almost like a sculptural material that he’s pushing and pulling across the page. But it’s more than just writing; it’s a dance of intention and chance, where the artist is both in control and letting go. Each mark becomes a record of a moment, like a snapshot of a fleeting idea. And of course we can't read it, so it becomes a kind of abstract, asemic writing, like Cy Twombly! Artists steal from each other all the time, it’s a beautiful, inspiring conversation across generations. Hijner’s letter invites us to join in, adding our own interpretations and meanings to the mix.