Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1908 - 1912

This letter to Philip Zilcken was written by Victor Barrucand in Paris, likely around 1904. The handwritten text is so elegant, in a way that gives me the feeling that writing itself is a form of drawing. The ink is delicate and a bit faded, as if the words are quietly receding into the paper. And I like that, because, in a way, it's the opposite of what we expect from language. Instead of shouting or demanding attention, it feels private and intimate. Look at the loops and swirls in the handwriting; they’re not just about legibility, they add a sense of movement, like a dance across the page. See how the letters connect, forming a continuous line that ebbs and flows. It’s like watching a thought unfold in real-time. I think about Cy Twombly and his painterly handwriting – how he turned language into pure gesture. It reminds us that writing, just like painting, is a very material, bodily act. It's about rhythm, pressure, and the sheer joy of mark-making.