Twee gravende heiwerkers c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen sketched "Twee gravende heiwerkers" using graphite. Notice how the composition plunges us directly into the scene, confronting us with the raw, physical labor depicted. Witsen masterfully employs chiaroscuro to model the figures and landscape. This contrast emphasizes the workers' strenuous activity, highlighting the deep shadows cast by their labor. The horizon is sketched loosely, and the artist uses quick, gestural marks which construct the shapes of the figures and ground. We can read this as Witsen's formal interest in the surface qualities of the drawing and the tonal variations achieved through graphite. Witsen presents the workers in a state of becoming, a continuous cycle of labor, reflecting a broader discourse on the human condition. The unfinished quality of the sketch invites us to consider the essence of labor, and to find beauty in the mundane.