Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1900 - 1908

This is a letter to Philip Zilcken, made with pen and ink on paper by Johan Gram in 1900. Look at how Gram makes these marks! They are so clear and sure, they remind me of calligraphy, each stroke flowing into the next. The texture of the paper is so different to the curves and swirls of the writing. The letters float on its surface, each word separated by a breath of negative space. The ink looks slightly faded; the marks feel simultaneously immediate and ghostly. The swooping ‘J’ in the signature, Johan Gram, is particularly beautiful. The loop makes a grand gesture of mark making, a flourish of confidence. I am reminded of the letters of Cy Twombly. Like Twombly, Gram understands the importance of gesture, the way a single mark can contain a universe of meaning. Both artists embrace ambiguity, inviting us to read between the lines and find our own interpretations in their work.