Envelop aan Philip Zilcken before 1913

This envelope addressed to Philip Zilcken was made by François de Bas. It’s all lines and marks, like a drawing made with a pen, but it's also an object that has traveled, from one place to another, carrying a message. The handwriting loops and dances across the surface, a bit like a Cy Twombly scribble, only much more controlled. Everything is contained within a grid made from a stamp, address and franking mark. What I like about this is how it manages to be both casual, and formal at the same time. Look at the flourish under the name, see how the artist takes a line for a walk and creates a kind of graphic full stop to the communication. It reminds me that art is simply a kind of advanced communication, and that even the smallest gesture can have a big impact. The whole thing feels very Dutch to me, maybe it’s the light, maybe it’s the simplicity, or maybe it's the ghost of Mondrian.