Foto uit archief Philip Zilcken 1912

This is a photograph from the archive of Philip Zilcken, taken in November 1912. The inscription in Italian, elegant and slightly faded, speaks of Venice, the Isola di Sant'Elena. I imagine the photographer standing there, thinking, What do I want to capture? What feeling do I want to convey? What's visible, what's invisible? The light of Venice in November must have been something special. The handwriting itself feels like a gesture, a movement across the paper, each curve and line imbued with intention. I can think about Cy Twombly and his painterly scrawls, the act of writing becoming drawing, and drawing, writing. It’s like a dance between control and chance, a way of making marks that feels both deliberate and spontaneous. It is a reminder that even the simplest gestures can carry so much meaning and emotion. And that the best art often comes from this kind of dialogue, this back-and-forth between the artist, the medium, and the world around them.