Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1907

This letter to Philip Zilcken by Vittorio Pica, it’s a really interesting document because it’s like a little time capsule of communication. I'm always struck by how artists engage with the everyday, turning mundane objects into something thought-provoking. What grabs me first is the texture, or the hint of it anyway. The delicate script, the postmark, the stamp - each element has a different kind of presence on the surface. The handwriting varies in pressure, creating a rhythm that’s almost musical. And then there’s the stamp, a tiny burst of color against the aged paper. The contrast between the formality of the stamp and the more casual, flowing script is super interesting. The word 'peintre', painter, scrawled beneath the addressee’s name, feels intimate, like a shared secret or acknowledgment. It reminds me that art-making is often about these small, personal connections, these exchanges of ideas and support. It's kind of like a Cy Twombly, who was also interested in the power of handwriting and mark-making. Art is really all about relationships, right?