Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1900 - 1921

Editor: Here we have “Brief aan Philip Zilcken” by Jan Veth, likely created between 1900 and 1921. It’s an ink and pen drawing held at the Rijksmuseum. There’s something intimate about viewing someone's personal correspondence, don’t you think? Like we’re peering into a moment. What strikes you when you look at this? Curator: Oh, absolutely. It’s like finding a time capsule, isn’t it? The beauty of a handwritten letter, a lost art! What I find interesting here is how the mundane becomes art. This isn’t a grand portrait, but a quick sketch, a fleeting thought given physical form. I'm particularly drawn to the flow of the handwriting. Can’t you just imagine his pen scratching across the paper? It gives it such immediacy, like he dashed this off and popped it straight into the post. Do you see that too, that energy in the lines? Editor: Yes, it’s much looser and immediate than, say, one of his finished portraits. There’s a list of names in the letter, maybe recipients of artworks? Curator: Perhaps. Or subjects he intends to portray! It makes you wonder about the lives connected by this simple piece of paper. And the ink, think about that for a moment! What kind of ink was he using? Was it scratchy? Smelly? It all feeds into our experience. These physical qualities open a door into Veth's process in a way that a perfect, polished painting never could. What’s been revealed is really something to behold. Editor: It's fascinating to think of the choices, conscious or unconscious, that went into making this “simple” letter. I definitely have a different perspective on how intention and material affect a piece after this conversation. Curator: Wonderful! Isn't it magical how much we can glean from what seems, at first glance, so unassuming?