Gezicht op een park met bebouwing c. 1888 - 1891

Willem Witsen created this quick sketch of a park scene using graphite on paper. The composition is immediately striking for its stark simplicity and raw energy. The artist uses rapid, gestural lines to capture the basic forms of buildings, trees, and what appears to be a body of water, possibly a canal. The lines themselves are quite expressive. Notice how they vary in thickness and direction to suggest depth and texture. This isn't about precise representation; rather, Witsen is exploring the essence of the scene. He reduces the park to its fundamental components, and creates a network of lines which offer a fleeting impression. This drawing is a study in perception and mark-making. It is more of a fleeting thought, than a finished idea, leaving space for continuous reinterpretation.