Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1900 - 1912

This letter was written by Jan Toorop to Philip Zilcken in 1900, using ink on paper. The script is so personal, so intimate - you get the feeling you’re right there, shoulder-to-shoulder, as Toorop’s hand flies across the page. Look at the pressure he puts on the nib; the way the lines thicken and thin. See how the words huddle together, some barely legible? It’s like he’s trying to cram every thought onto the page before it disappears. There's a real sense of urgency in the marks, and a raw, unedited feel. This reminds me of Cy Twombly's scrawls; both artists share that beautiful tension between legibility and abstraction. It's not about perfect penmanship, but about capturing the messy, unfiltered energy of thought.