Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1919

This letter to Philip Zilcken, written by Rose Imel, feels almost like a painting in its own right. Think of the artist carefully forming each letter, each word a deliberate stroke on the page. You can see the controlled pressure of the pen, the way the ink bleeds slightly into the paper creating a kind of texture. I can imagine her pausing, considering each word, wanting to convey not just information but emotion. What was the situation? What was it like to write a letter to someone important? The way she carefully loops her 'L' and extends the 't', each curve and angle speaks volumes. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scrawled poetry, where language becomes a kind of abstract expression. And isn’t that what all painting really is? Artists, across time and place, are in a constant conversation. Rose Imel might never have known Twombly, but in this letter, she’s speaking the same language. Each artist contributes to this ongoing dialogue, transforming simple forms into something complex and deeply felt.