Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1918

This is a letter, Brief aan Philip Zilcken, written by Johan Hendrik van Mastenbroek. Look at how the ink blooms in places on the page, how the words lean and loop. The writing is dense, but the page breathes. Letters are like drawings, aren't they? Each one made with its own individual gesture. And the way he underlines certain words – that’s just like adding another layer of paint, drawing attention to what matters most. I like how the materiality of the letter itself tells a story. The paper probably has a particular smell and feel to it. The ink might be faded in places. It's so fragile. I think of Cy Twombly and his love of language as a gesture. Like a painter uses brushstrokes to convey emotion, Van Mastenbroek uses the flourish of his pen. It reminds me that art is just another form of communication, another way of reaching out and connecting with each other across time and space. It is also a reminder to write more letters.