Bebaarde man met een kippenpoot 1878

Willem Witsen made this drawing, "Bearded Man with a Chicken Leg," which is now held at the Rijksmuseum. The composition is immediately striking: a man's face, rendered with quick, energetic lines, dominates the foreground, his gaze fixed. He holds a chicken leg. The artist's technique is crucial here. Witsen uses a network of lines to build form. The shading, achieved through dense hatching, creates a sense of depth and volume, particularly around the man's face. The chicken leg introduces an element of the unexpected, destabilizing any easy interpretation. Is it a symbol, a prop, or simply a mundane detail? The lack of clear context invites us to question the relationship between the figure and the object, challenging fixed notions of portraiture. The drawing exists within a larger cultural discourse about representation and identity. Witsen pushes against traditional boundaries, creating a work that is both formally compelling and conceptually provocative. The focus on the formal qualities allows the work to remain open to ongoing interpretations, highlighting the dynamic relationship between the artwork, the viewer, and the broader cultural context.