Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1901 - 1925

This letter was written by Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp, on a page that is now fading to sepia. Imagine the scratch of the nib as it travels across the page, the ink bleeding slightly into the fibers. I can picture Nieuwenkamp pausing, considering each word, each loop and flourish of his handwriting. Was he thinking about the recipient, this Philip Zilcken, as he formed each letter? Was he thinking of his wider practice? I wonder about the weight of the paper in his hand, the feel of the ink, the slant of the light as it fell across the page. Each of these details, these material aspects, they shape the meaning, shift the feeling. It reminds me that we're always in conversation with the past, with the gestures and marks of those who came before us. Each stroke, each word, a response to what has already been said, and an invitation to continue the dialogue.