Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1906

This 'Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken' was made by Emile Decoeur; I imagine the materials being easily to hand, from the print of the card itself to the ink for the flourishes of handwriting. It is as if I'm looking over the shoulder of the artist as he writes to his friend – the loops and curves of the writing are very sensual. The materiality of the card is interesting. It looks mass produced and yet the individual marks of the handwriting bring a sense of the hand to it. Take a look at the stamps in the upper right corner of the card. The postal marks almost obscure the image – the marks of bureaucracy layered on top of this personal correspondence. This reminds me of the collages of Kurt Schwitters, where he collected everyday ephemera and combined them into beautiful, poetic compositions. Art is always a conversation, building on what came before.