Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken 1874 - 1930

This ‘Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken,’ by Vittorio Pica, is a small invitation into the world of written correspondence from a bygone era. It’s all about process here; the layering of postal markings and looping script feel so deliberate and personal. The card has a gorgeous ochre surface, aged and worn smooth, a perfect foil to the energetic marks made by the pen. See how the ink pools in some areas and barely kisses the surface in others. You can really feel the hand moving across the card, forming each letter with care, and leaving behind not only words, but also a trace of the writer’s own physical presence. The faded green stamps, one from de Bruxelles and one from Les-Stuyvesant, act like abstract forms, grounding the piece and hinting at the journey this little message has taken. This reminds me of some of Cy Twombly's works - maybe the way he uses language and mark-making to make something new and kind of poetic. I think art is about embracing not knowing, embracing the unexpected, and this little Briefkaart does it so well.