Abklatsch van de tekening op pagina 55 c. 1884 - 1891

Editor: This is "Abklatsch van de tekening op pagina 55" by Willem Witsen, made sometime between 1884 and 1891. It’s a graphite drawing on paper, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It has such an ephemeral, almost dreamlike quality... What do you make of this landscape sketch? Curator: The dreamlike quality you mention speaks to the essence of late 19th-century artistic exploration. Consider the societal shifts occurring then. Rapid industrialization was drastically reshaping landscapes and lives. Artists like Witsen, often associated with Impressionism, were acutely aware of these changes and responded by capturing fleeting moments and subjective experiences, almost as an act of defiance against the industrial juggernaut. Does that context change how you see the image? Editor: It does. I hadn’t considered the socio-political aspect. Now it feels less like a simple landscape and more like a commentary on vanishing rural life. The sketchiness feels deliberate, almost like a memory fading. Curator: Precisely. The Rijksmuseum displaying this 'sketch', rather than a finished painting, also says something. It elevates the preliminary study to the level of art. Think about the emerging art market at that time; what kind of message does publicly showcasing a piece like this send to society? Editor: That the artist’s process, their initial vision, is just as valuable as the polished end result. It democratizes art, in a way. I didn’t expect so much social context in a landscape drawing! Curator: Exactly! Seeing art as embedded in a broader socio-cultural narrative enriches the experience immensely. It becomes more than just looking; it’s about understanding. Editor: I'll definitely keep this in mind as I look at other landscape art. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure! Hopefully, this perspective helps you uncover many other such embedded narratives.