Gezicht op de ophaalbrug tussen Rapenburg en Uilenburg c. 1911

Willem Witsen etched this view of a bridge in Amsterdam, maybe sometime around the turn of the last century. It's all in a kind of warm, sepia tone that really emphasizes the process. When you look at the reflections in the water, you can really see how the texture becomes the picture. The bridge itself is almost a kind of stage, with people walking back and forth, going somewhere or maybe nowhere at all. In the center of the image, where the bridge connects to the building, you see a darkening. Is this an area of shadows, created by Witsen, or is it the ink wearing down? It's hard to tell. Looking at this image makes me think about Whistler, and the etchings he made of the Thames. Both artists use a similar approach to capture the atmosphere of a place. It's like they're not just showing you what's there, but also how it feels to be there, on a damp day with that funny light. And it reminds us that art isn't just about what you see, but how you see it.