Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1912

Joseph Pennell made this letter to Philip Zilcken at 3 Adelphi Terrace House, London. It's a letter, a form we don't see so much anymore, where process is right there in the thing itself - the strike of the pen, the ink blooming on the page. Pennell’s handwriting has a casual grace, with looping forms that give a sense of the hand moving across the page. Look at the way the ink pools and fades, creating a visual texture. It reminds us that art isn't just about the final image, but about the act of making itself, like a dance between the artist and the materials. See how the letters lean and connect, a bit like figures in a crowd? There's a sense of intimacy here, of a direct line between the artist's thoughts and the recipient. For me, Pennell’s letter echoes the work of Cy Twombly, where writing and drawing blur together. Both artists use the written word as a visual element, inviting us to consider the act of communication. Art isn’t about answers, but about opening up possibilities, a shared space.