Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1920

This letter to Philip Zilcken was written by Henri Verstijnen in 1920. Just look at that handwriting, like dark blue paint zig-zagging across the page! It's a dance of thought, isn't it? I can almost see Verstijnen hunched over his desk, pen in hand, the words pouring out of him in these quick, urgent strokes. I wonder what he was thinking about as he wrote. Was he frustrated, inspired, or maybe just a little bit bored? I imagine him pausing mid-sentence, searching for the right word, then diving back in with renewed energy. The materiality of the letter—the texture of the paper, the weight of the ink—all contribute to the feeling that we're right there with him in his studio. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they? It's like we're all just riffing off each other, borrowing ideas, and pushing things in new directions. And in the end, it's not about finding one "true" meaning, but about embracing the ambiguity and letting the work speak for itself.