Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1911 - 1915

This is a postcard to Philip Zilcken, and what strikes me first is the interplay of different marks—the printed text, the handwriting, the stamps. It feels like a conversation happening across time and distance. Look closely, and you can see the pressure of the pen creating different weights in the lines of the address. This is so simple, but it reminds us that even something as functional as handwriting has a rhythm and a kind of texture to it. You can almost feel the writer’s hand moving across the paper. And the stamps, with their faded ink and smudged edges, add another layer of history and chance. I think about other artists who use text in their work, like Cy Twombly, where writing becomes a kind of drawing. Ultimately, this postcard reminds me that art is everywhere, in the most unexpected places.