Annotaties c. 1915 - 1921

This page of annotations was made by Willem Witsen, but we don't know exactly when. It's a flurry of pale marks on a pale ground, and you can tell it's a site of real inquiry for the artist. I can just imagine Witsen jotting down these notes – possibly thoughts, observations, or calculations – while on the move. The handwriting looks hasty and sure. It makes me think about the relationship between thinking, seeing, and making. So many artists take notes – some visual, some verbal – as part of their process. You know, Cy Twombly was a master of this kind of scrawled thinking. There’s a really fascinating dialogue happening across time between artists, where they look at one another's work and find inspiration, solace, or just a kind of affirmation that it's okay to be a little bit weird, or a little bit obsessed. It is these intimate, provisional marks and personal notations that offer insight into the creative thought process. It reminds us that art is about exploration and uncertainty, not just about answers.