Brief aan gravin Olga Leutrum von Ertingen-Okolicsanyi d’Okolica 1890 - 1930

This piece is a letter, or perhaps a draft of a letter written by Philip Zilcken, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. The handwriting is so open, flowing like a river, but also feels considered. The blue ink on this slightly mottled paper makes me think of the way Cy Twombly would write and draw on a surface, smearing meaning across the work. The material aspects of the work, that paper and ink, make it so intimate. You can almost feel the scratch of the pen on the page. Look at the number six, the way it loops back on itself, a little flourish that gives the whole letter a sense of character. It reminds me of the way that Agnes Martin would title her paintings - just straightforward, unadorned, but full of grace. Like Martin, this piece embraces ambiguity. We're left to wonder about the context of the letter, about the meaning behind the words.