Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1928

Carla van Geuns wrote this letter to Philip Zilcken, in pen on paper, and it’s a real beauty. I can imagine the intimacy of van Geuns’ gesture as she wrote the letter. The formation of each word. The pen pressed against the page. It looks like the kind of letter you write quickly. But what did the writing feel like for her? She has a real sense of rhythm. I can imagine her thoughts flowing freely. The strokes are so expressive. They have a directness and fluidity that’s really powerful. It’s a simple statement of intent that carries with it a lot of emotion. The personal is always deeply embedded in the formal, and vice versa. You can see and feel this in the way she made the work. The painting holds the artist’s intentions, but also all the happy accidents and improvisations that can push a work in unexpected directions.