Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1920 - 1931

Rose Imel wrote this letter to Philip Zilcken sometime around 1920, the words etched in dark ink on thin paper. It's an intimate act, handwriting, isn't it? A direct channeling of thought into a physical trace. You can almost feel the pen's movement, the pauses, the pressure varying with each stroke. I imagine Imel hunched over a desk, maybe by a window, the light catching the page. Was she frowning? Smiling? What thoughts and feelings drove her hand? I think of the materiality of the medium itself – paper, ink, the nib of the pen. All these elements shape our experience. The loops and curves, the slant of the letters, so full of expression! There’s a hesitancy that comes across, but also a determination. Painters and writers, we're all just trying to communicate, aren't we? Leaving our mark, contributing to the ongoing conversation across time.