Briefkaart aan Philip Zilcken 1915

This vintage postcard to Philip Zilcken, made by F.M. Melchers, feels like a painterly composition in itself. The stamps in faded reds and purples, the smudged postal marks, and the looping script, all sit on the warm off-white of the card like marks on a canvas. I imagine Melchers finding beauty in the everyday, a fellow artist to Zilcken, perhaps sharing thoughts on color or form. Maybe this was a quick note, a visual hello sent amidst a busy day of painting. What was Melchers thinking as he licked the stamps and pressed them into place? Was he considering their placement, the way their colors played against the background? There's a certain physicality to this humble piece of mail. You can almost feel the texture of the paper, see the slight imperfections in the printing, and the ghost of the sender and receiver in each stroke. This little postcard reminds me that art is everywhere if you know how to look. It exists in the exchange of ideas, the shared human experience, and even in the simple act of sending a message.