Brief aan Philip Zilcken before 1916

This is Eugénie Clapier-Houchart’s letter to Philip Zilcken from March 1916, likely written with pen and ink. The writing is so intimate and personal, it transcends the function of a letter. It becomes something visually compelling, like a drawing. Look at the density of the text, the way the words cluster and then spread out, like ink bleeding into paper. The handwriting is looping and generous, but the overall effect is one of controlled chaos, like Pollock’s drip paintings – a record of a specific moment and state of mind. The letter is dated Montpellier, France during the First World War, and speaks of a mutual empathy for "martyred Belgium" suggesting a shared bond forged in times of hardship. Each word feels like a gesture, a brushstroke across the page. I’m reminded of Cy Twombly’s scribbled paintings, where language and mark-making blur into something that's both deeply personal and universally resonant. It reminds us that art and life are always intertwined, always informing each other.