Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1924

This is a postcard to Philip Zilcken, written by J. Pit in 1924. Imagine Pit writing, perhaps with a fountain pen, the ink bleeding slightly into the paper, making the strokes imperfect. You can see the shadow of the hand in the loops and curves of the handwriting. The words are pressed into the paper with intention, a personal message captured in the material of the postcard. Notice how the script varies in thickness, light in some areas, darker in others. You can feel Pit’s energy as they vary the pressure on the page. I wonder what they were thinking as they wrote, what stories or feelings they wanted to communicate. This postcard reminds me that all mark-making, whether writing or painting, is a record of a specific moment in time, a collaboration between mind, body, and material. Artists and writers are in an ongoing conversation, across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. I find this so comforting.