Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1901 - 1908

This is a postcard to Philip Zilcken, by Theo van Hoytema. It’s a humble, intimate little thing, and right away I’m drawn to the marks of everyday life all over it: the stamps, the writing, the postmarks. Look closely, and you'll see a really muted palette, mostly grayscale and off-white, with a couple of small areas of light green. It’s pretty subtle, not showy at all, and that’s part of what makes it interesting. The handwriting itself is so delicate and personal and also slightly formal, so proper. Even the way the ink fades and varies in thickness gives a sense of time passing, of the message slowly aging. It reminds me a bit of some of the handwritten letters from the Dadaists, like Kurt Schwitters. You know, these artists who were trying to break down the boundaries between art and life. This postcard feels like it's doing something similar, turning a simple act of communication into something beautiful and meaningful. Like art is just life happening.