Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1917

This is a letter by Cyriel Buysse, written in 1917, probably with a fountain pen on simple writing paper. You can see in the top left corner a little printed vignette of soldiers, which gives a clue to the context of this missive, and the reason for writing. The ink is light, faded brown, it’s soaked into the fibers of the page, and the writing is swift and legible, with a real sense of urgency, but also intimacy. The quick, even rhythm of the handwriting betrays an eloquence and ease, but then the signature is slightly more embellished with a flourish and a deliberate quality, it’s as if Buysse is using the materiality of the ink to create emphasis. I'm reminded of the letters of Van Gogh in the way the handwriting becomes a kind of drawing, an index of mood and a record of a particular moment. Think of all the letters sent back and forth during the First World War, now we have email, but I'm not sure we have anything that conveys that same feeling.