Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1918

This Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken was written by Willem Byvanck in 1918. Just imagine Willem there with his pen, the ink bleeding into the paper. It’s so interesting looking at the handwriting on this postcard. It reminds me that even in something as mundane as addressing a letter, there’s a kind of performance. Willem makes marks with the pen. Each stroke is its own little gesture. Think about it, we use our hands, we're physically engaged, and that’s where the expression comes from. I think he's probably thinking about all the little details—the stamp, the address, making sure it’s all neat and tidy. But maybe there's also something a bit more philosophical going on too. It's like he is putting himself into the slip, and sending something of himself along with the note. You know, it makes me think about other artists who are really into handwriting like Cy Twombly and how they make these incredible gestural marks on a huge scale. I think there's a real connection between this postcard and those big, expressive paintings. Every artist is having an ongoing conversation with one another across time.