Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1910 - 1911

Curator: We’re looking at “Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken,” a postcard from possibly 1910-1911 by Victor Barrucand. The medium is simply ink on card, dominated by flowing script. Editor: The overwhelming visual here is definitely the handwriting itself. It's an aesthetic of ephemerality. It makes me think about casual correspondence and all the little human interactions that create networks of support and obligation. Curator: Indeed. The script possesses a distinct, almost performative quality, doesn't it? Note the curves and flourishes; the confident strokes indicate a level of training in formal penmanship, which elevates its pure function of written language. Editor: How do we read this postcard's message? Considering the materiality, that it’s handwritten, and meant to be mailed…what message does its form communicate? The placement on the paper creates compositional movement, the lines directing the eye down to Barrucand’s name at the bottom, further reinforcing a hierarchy of signature. Curator: A letter is being represented here by handwriting as art—an indexical system is established between the sender and receiver—perhaps the message contains best wishes and sincere feelings. However, to dissect it merely by what we think the writer wishes to communicate isn't a deep examination of what the work is meant to represent—that's not where the crux lies. The emphasis is how form facilitates a communicative aesthetic! Editor: The use of cursive feels exclusionary to a contemporary public unfamiliar with the form. The effect isolates viewers without the tools to translate its language, suggesting older forms of social connections centered around exclusivity and elite aesthetic codes. Is it that the sender wanted to limit those privy to the missive? Curator: I wouldn’t go that far, as the point is more how those qualities contribute to the card's inherent beauty and complexity. Editor: Perhaps. I will definitely consider the formal elements with that more intimate framework. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure.