Brief aan Philip Zilcken

This is a letter to Philip Zilcken written in Rome on June 3, 1911, by Anna Pica-Marazzani. It's on paper, of course, and the pale grayish tone is just so subtle. The handwriting is so delicate, a kind of dance across the page. Look at the way she loops her letters – like vines reaching out. The ink is thin, almost translucent, it has aged like old bones or parchment. You can see the pressure she applied, varying the line weight, so the words almost breathe. The letterhead is in purple ink, an oval-shaped logo that looks like a stamp, giving a glimpse of the artist's personality. There is something intimate about handwriting, isn't there? Especially in a letter like this, which feels like a conversation, an exchange between artists. It reminds me of the letters between Van Gogh and his brother Theo, or the writings of Hilma af Klint. Art is a conversation, after all, a dialogue across time and space, and this letter is like a quiet echo of that ongoing exchange.