Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1905

Simon Moulijn made this ‘Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken’ with ink and paper. What strikes me most is the beautiful script and the layers of added graphic elements. It's a kind of ready made collage of postal marks, stamps, and seals. Look how the green ink of the stamp bleeds slightly into the paper, like watercolor. Each element tells a story of process; the layering of official marks speaks to a kind of accidental beauty, where function meets gesture. The diagonal strike through the address is so satisfying, isn’t it? It's like a confident edit. The whole piece reminds me a little of Cy Twombly's work - this shared the ability to make something poetic out of everyday marks and scribbles. Ultimately, this briefkaart shows us that even mundane correspondence can be art, and that art is really just a conversation that never ends.