Brief aan Philip Zilcken 1900 - 1911

This letter to Philip Zilcken was written by Tony Lodewijk George Offermans, though we don’t know exactly when. See how the ink bleeds slightly into the paper? It’s like the words are breathing, each stroke a little gasp of thought made visible. The letter itself is a kind of drawing, a web of marks and gestures. I’m drawn to the way the script leans and loops, the pressure of the pen varying, as if the writer's emotions are right there on the page. Look at the flourishes, they remind me of Cy Twombly, or even graffiti – like a secret language scrawled in public. It's like Offermans is not just writing words, but also drawing the sound of his voice. The texture of the paper, the fading ink – these things create a sense of intimacy. Think of Hanne Darboven's conceptual writing practice. Art is always a conversation across time, a dance between intention and accident.