Molen Rijn en Lek te Wijk bij Duurstede 1906 - 1907

Willem Witsen made this drawing, Molen Rijn en Lek te Wijk bij Duurstede, with a graphite pencil, and to me, it's all about the thinking that happens through the hand. See how the lines are tentative, searching? There's a real sense of the artist figuring things out as he goes. It feels so immediate, like we’re looking over his shoulder as he captures the essence of this windmill landscape. I love how the sparse lines create a whole world. You can almost feel the breeze and hear the creaking of the sails. The texture of the paper adds to the feeling, doesn't it? It’s not smooth, but has a toothiness that grabs the graphite, creating a subtle, broken surface. This reminds me of Cy Twombly, whose scribbly drawings invite us to embrace the beauty of imperfection and the power of suggestion. Ultimately, art invites ambiguity; it’s not about fixed answers but opening up possibilities.