Brief aan Philip Zilcken 1900 - 1903

This letter, ‘Brief aan Philip Zilcken’ was written by Jan Hillebrand Wijsmuller in 1900 using ink on paper. Look at the marks, the energetic swirls and lines of the handwriting. Imagine the movement of the artist's hand across the paper. How they paused, thought, and then continued, each stroke a direct expression of thought and feeling. I wonder, what was Wijsmuller thinking as he wrote? Perhaps considering the nuances of language and how best to convey his message to Zilcken. See the way the words clump together in some parts and stretch out in others? The letter isn't just a means of communication; it’s a kind of performance, a dance of ink and paper. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly's scribbled paintings or even some of the more gestural works of the Surrealists. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they? Whether they know it or not, they are constantly building upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before, creating something new and unique in the process. Like this letter, painting is a conversation, an ongoing dialogue between the artist, the medium, and the viewer.