Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1890 - 1893

Curator: Oh, this feels incredibly intimate. There's a real sense of someone's thoughts flowing directly onto the page. Editor: Indeed. What we have here is "Brief aan Philip Zilcken" by Johannes Huygens, probably dating from around 1890 to 1893. It’s a drawing made with pen and ink on paper and held at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes you about its intimacy? Curator: The handwriting, for starters! The loops and flourishes are so personal, like a fingerprint of the soul. I imagine the scratching of the pen across the page. It feels like I am spying, but in a nice way. Editor: It is worth considering the performative aspects of letter writing in the 19th century. Penmanship was a cultivated skill and demonstrated social status. This letter, therefore, functions on multiple levels. A tool of communication and an example of personal cultivation and social performance. How do you see these elements reflected in Huygens’ letter? Curator: Well, I think that the content can still be intimate regardless of its status as performative art. Look at that signature – a decisive swoosh, but then a lingering, gentle curve. There is such a vulnerability hidden in what would, otherwise, be mere pleasantries and social lubrication. Editor: Absolutely. It is equally fascinating to consider Zilcken's perspective. As the recipient of the letter, his interpretation might differ considerably. How might Zilcken, a figure embedded in the art world of the time, have perceived the letter's visual elements and coded language? Curator: Good question! Perhaps there's a subtle art-world dance going on here—a gentle showing-off of skill, alongside a genuine connection. I find that really wonderful and charming. What is it with letters that makes me so soft? Editor: Letters serve as material testaments to interpersonal exchange. “Brief aan Philip Zilcken” speaks to the blending of friendship, business, and artistry. And as material evidence of an intersectional artistic practice, it grants us a new view into fin-de-siècle networks and textual exchanges. Curator: It feels like holding a whisper from the past, doesn't it? A tangible link to Johannes Huygens' world. Thank you for giving me so much food for thought! Editor: The pleasure was all mine. Hopefully, we have inspired people to reflect on the everyday acts of creativity.