Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1907 - 1917

Curator: Standing before us, we have what’s known as “Brief aan Philip Zilcken,” a letter to Philip Zilcken created by Walter Castle Keith. The materials include ink on paper and the dating remains between 1907 and 1917. Editor: Oh, it's a letter—an actual handwritten letter! There’s something deeply intimate and delicate about this glimpse into what seems like someone else's personal world. It evokes a mood of simple nostalgia, you know? I can almost feel the touch of the writer. Curator: Precisely! Keith's choice of ink on paper adds to this delicate feeling you describe. If we observe closely, there’s the calligraphy. It adds a structured elegance but then the strokes give us insight to how quick or deliberate the writing would have been. Editor: It’s like glimpsing a thought as it forms, which gives an additional layer of intimacy. I see a glimpse into the personal, which blends nicely with the more rigid elements like ink choice and carefully done handwriting. I think it's nice when an artist leaves small parts of themselves and their artistic practice behind. Curator: You bring up an important point regarding that blend between Keith's personality and artistic intentions with the work. On closer inspection of the text, it refers to Philip Zilcken and mentions going to America, which tells of a correspondence and, dare I say, friendship. Editor: I imagine these figures corresponding about life’s joys and disappointments through a kind of artistic and stylistic lens. This piece evokes a sense of an old, genuine art friend supporting art friend. And so it's an old letter from, supposedly, an old friend, now speaking to a new generation and creating newer bonds between itself and its new audience. It has such heart, it really speaks across time. Curator: Absolutely, you said it perfectly. What better purpose can a work have, after all, than to connect across time and place?