Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1925 - 1929

Editor: Here we have "Brief aan Philip Zilcken," a letter, likely from the late 1920s, created with pen and ink on paper. It’s interesting, isn’t it? There's a delicate quality to the script, yet the message seems so direct, almost assertive. What do you make of the choice to present personal correspondence as a piece of art? Curator: Ah, yes, a written window into another's thoughts. The act of correspondence itself, elevated. I see a moment captured, less about grand gestures and more about the simple exchange of ideas, inked directly onto paper. Tell me, do you feel as though the artist intended to explore the materiality of communication itself, given the focus is on lettering as portrait? Editor: Hmm, I hadn’t thought about it that way. The "old engraving style" tag does point towards an intentional reference, perhaps nodding towards printmaking or the value associated with carefully reproduced language. Curator: Precisely! And perhaps, also hinting towards permanence. Every word and every stroke is committed to paper. The little imperfections and variations in pressure and weight of the strokes themselves add depth to it; there is life in it that the cool removal of printmaking strives to leave behind. What would you say is captured in it? Editor: The energy is interesting! Like the thoughts are actively flowing onto the page. This changes my reading quite a bit - it almost feels voyeuristic to look at. Curator: Exactly! It transcends a mere recording and shows the passion of communicating, doesn't it? We now grasp something that was never supposed to be permanent but is immortalized through viewing it as art! Editor: It's like reading someone’s mind, I can see that now. Seeing the letter as art really transforms its inherent function and meaning!