Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken before 1893

This is H.L. Berckenhoff’s “Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken," a letter whose formal elements invite a unique reading. The composition is immediately striking, dominated by the off-white plane of the card itself. A constellation of inked elements interrupts this field: stamps, addresses, and cancellations. The stamps, each a small square, contain circular cancellations that repeat their form, creating a pattern against the card's starkness. Note the handwritten script, looping and diving across the surface. The use of script is a form of mark making, a deliberate engagement with the pictorial space of the card. The composition destabilizes conventional notions of communication, transforming a mundane item into an aesthetic object. The interplay of geometric and organic shapes is like a playful arrangement of signs. Berckenhoff invites us to read not just the words, but the visual elements that create a textured, layered narrative. This piece challenges our expectations, pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a work of art.