Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1914

This is a postcard to Philip Zilcken, from 1914, and what grabs me is the handwriting, the way the words are formed with such care. You can see the hand moving across the page, figuring out how to fit everything in. There’s a rhythm to it, like a dance. The letters lean and swoop, and you get a sense of the person behind them, Fenna de Meyier, and how much thought and attention went into sending this message. The ink is a delicate sepia tone, almost translucent, and has faded slightly over time. The postmark is a dark indigo, like a bruise on the card. I like how the lines guide the eye across the surface, creating a visual pathway through the composition. It's funny how something so simple can be so evocative, like a conversation with the past. It reminds me of the work of Cy Twombly, who also used handwriting and mark-making as a way to explore the boundaries between language and image. And just like Cy Twombly, Meyier is playing with the idea that art is never really finished, but rather a process of ongoing exploration and discovery.