Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 5 c. 1887 - 1892

Editor: So, we're looking at Willem Witsen's "Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 5," a drawing in ink on paper from somewhere around 1887 to 1892. Honestly, at first glance, it's so subtle, it almost disappears. What do you see in it? Curator: It does, doesn’t it? Like a whisper of a memory clinging to the page. This "blot" – abklatsch, the German word for it, so evocative – invites us to consider the art of impression. It reminds me of half-remembered landscapes glimpsed through a train window, fleeting and imprecise, yet powerful in their suggestive mood. Do you see the horizon line hinted at? Editor: Now that you mention it, yes! I can almost imagine it’s a very faint landscape... maybe? But it's more like a feeling than a distinct image. Curator: Exactly! Witsen wasn't about capturing reality, he was about capturing feeling, the *experience* of reality. And the choice of monochrome amplifies that; the subtle gradations in tone create a hazy, dreamlike quality. I see a reflection of the artistic circles Witsen frequented - a taste for suggestion, rather than depiction. What feelings does it evoke in you, now that you see the ghost of the landscape? Editor: It feels melancholy, maybe? Peaceful, but with a touch of… loss, maybe? I like that idea of capturing the *feeling* of reality. Curator: Yes, it speaks of a very particular turn-of-the-century sensibility. Almost as though the world itself is fading at the edges. Editor: I never would have gotten all of that from just looking at it on my own. Now I’m really seeing it, not just looking at it. Curator: That's the magic, isn’t it? Art invites us to slow down, to see, and to *feel*.