Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1922 - 1925

Jeanne Erlich wrote this letter to Philip Zilcken in pencil on paper in Versailles. Look at the casual loops and lines of the cursive script. I wonder what kind of pencil she used? The pressure she applied to the page varies, like an echo of her emotional state. Maybe Erlich was thinking about how handwriting itself can be a gesture, a form of drawing on paper. It's like she’s physically reaching out to connect with Zilcken, bridging distance with ink and paper. She hopes that he and his wife will pass some time in Paris. Perhaps she thinks of the city’s charms with affection. Each word she puts down is a step in their friendship. I love that artists write letters to each other. It reminds us that art is one big conversation. The act of writing, like painting, is embodied expression. It involves intention, chance, feeling, and meaning. I wonder who will find my letters in the future?