Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1905

Maurits van der Valk made this letter to Philip Zilcken, probably with ink on paper—and time. I love to think about the time embedded in it. The page is covered in elegant, looping lines. Van der Valk leans into that elegant script, and I can imagine the care, the deliberation, and the intention with which the artist creates each word. What was it like to pause between words, think, and move on, leaving this trace of thought? It reminds me of the care of Agnes Martin or Cy Twombly, but with words. So much of making art comes down to care and attention—and that is what Van der Valk gives us in this work. It's like he's saying, "Here, look at this word, this loop, this stroke." It's generous.