Briefkaart aan Philip Zicken before 1931

This is ‘Briefkaart aan Philip Zicken,’ a postcard by Aletta Ruijsch, though there's no date. It's just a small piece of card, and its strokes were made with ink—probably a fountain pen, given the elegant loops and curls. I can almost feel Ruijsch’s hand moving across the card as she wrote, a steady rhythm, dipping the pen in ink, then lifting, the ink bleeding slightly into the fibers of the card. Was she thinking of the person she was writing to? Did she know Philip Zicken? Perhaps this was just a mundane task, writing an address, but you can feel the pressure and pull as the writer puts pen to paper. Maybe she pauses, considers her words, then continues, adding a flourish, a personal touch. I can imagine her at a desk, a simple room, the light catching the surface of the ink. It's a tiny piece of paper, but it resonates with the touch of the artist’s hand. Ruijsch probably didn't think of this as art, but now, we do.