Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1911

This is a letter, or rather, the stationery for a letter, to Philip Zilcken, by Etha Fles. We don't know when exactly she made it or what implements were used to create these parallel lines. The thing about this work is it presents us with a beginning, a process that has not yet begun. Think about the texture of paper, the way the fibers catch the light, the way she has carefully ruled these lines, one by one. See how they subtly waver, a testament to the human hand? It's a promise of order, a framework for expression that is yet to be fulfilled. Looking at this, I'm reminded of Agnes Martin's grids, so spare, so quiet, yet full of potential energy. Both artists share an interest in the space between thought and action, the moment before the mark is made. Art is so often about what is not said, what is left unpainted. The point is that you are left with the opportunity to imagine what may happen next.