Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1917

This letter to Philip Zilcken was composed by Cyriel Buysse in 1917. It’s a page of script written in ink, maybe with a fountain pen, looping and swooping across the page. There's a printed heading with an illustration of soldiers smoking. I can imagine Buysse sitting and scratching away, maybe pausing, considering the phrasing, the tone. I wonder what was on his mind as the words flowed from the pen? Maybe he was thinking about how to express his feelings, how to convey a sense of urgency or importance. See how the ink is darker in some places, lighter in others? That’s the pressure of the hand, the rhythm of thought finding its way onto the page. It reminds me that writing, like painting, is a form of touch. Each stroke a gesture, each letter a mark of intention. It feels spontaneous, unedited, like a peek into the artist’s mind as he wrestles with language, form, and feeling. This page feels like it's humming with creative energy. It’s all part of the same conversation.