Landschap c. 1915 - 1920

Willem Witsen made this landscape drawing on paper, and looking at it, I imagine him outside with his sketchbook, trying to capture the essence of the place. It's all charcoal grey, smudgy and soft, not trying to be too precise. See how he's built up the darks with these scribbly lines? You can almost feel the charcoal scratching against the page. I bet he was battling the wind! I wonder what Witsen was thinking about when he made this? Was he just trying to record the scene, or was he feeling something more? Maybe he was inspired by the way the light filtered through the trees. Painters are always in conversation with each other, across time and space. There is something here of the Barbizon School, the Hague School, and the ongoing conversation of artists responding to nature, filtering it through their feelings, trying to get something down. It's not just about what you see, but about how you feel when you're seeing it. It's so loose. I love it!