drawing, pencil
portrait
drawing
pencil sketch
figuration
pencil
line
arm
Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain
Willem Witsen created this delicate pencil drawing, titled 'Two Arms', sometime between 1870 and 1923. Witsen was a key figure in the Dutch art scene, moving within literary and artistic circles in the Netherlands and London. This sketch offers an intimate glimpse into the human form. The arms, rendered with subtle shading, are presented without a clear context; they appear to float on the page. The absence of a defined background directs our focus solely to the emotional and physical expressiveness of the hands. What makes this piece striking is its incompleteness and the vulnerability it conveys. It departs from traditional idealized depictions, instead presenting a raw, unvarnished view of the body. The sketch invites us to consider the labor and life etched into these limbs. In doing so, the work encourages a deeper understanding of our own embodied existence and how we connect with others through touch and gesture.
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