Gezicht op een Amsterdamse gracht, mogelijk de Keizersgracht met Felix Meritis 1901 - 1907

Willem Witsen made this drawing of an Amsterdam canal with pencil. It’s like he was trying to feel his way through the scene, letting the marks emerge and then recede into the paper. I can imagine Witsen standing there, sketchbook in hand, trying to capture the essence of the city. Was he thinking about the light, the architecture, or maybe just the feeling of being there? There are dark, energetic lines scratching out a tree and smudging the paper. I wonder what he was thinking when he pressed down hard on the pencil like that? Did he want to leave a mark, to leave a feeling? This drawing feels like a conversation between Witsen and the world, a dialogue between eye, hand, and memory. And that conversation continues through time, as we look at it today and respond in our own way. It's all one big exchange.