Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1924 - 1927

This is a letter to Philip Zilcken. This humble piece of correspondence, dispatched from Paris, carries with it a network of meanings, a constellation of symbols embedded in the very act of communication. Consider the image of the stamp. From the depiction of the winged figure, we immediately think of Hermes, the messenger god. He embodies the impulse to connect across distances, to bridge divides through the exchange of words and ideas. This motif echoes through centuries—from ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings—each time adapting, re-emerging, and carrying forward the timeless human desire to communicate. The very act of writing, especially in the form of a personal letter, speaks to this deep-seated need. The handwritten words carry the author’s essence, their personality, their very soul, across the physical divide. This form of communication—intimate, human, and direct—engages our emotions and subconscious mind. It is a symbol of the human condition that continues to evolve even in our digital age.