Schetsboek met 19 bladen c. 1897 - 1910

Curator: Looking at this sketchbook, with its lovely warm paper tone, I can't help but imagine Willem Witsen pulling it out to quickly capture a fleeting moment in the world around him. Editor: I like this. There’s something almost haunted about it, don't you think? Like it contains lost worlds and memories pressed between the pages. Curator: Precisely. Made between approximately 1897 and 1910, this particular 'Schetsboek met 19 bladen,' as it’s called, provides tangible evidence of his creative process. Each page, made from paper and often worked in watercolor, carries the weight of Witsen’s impressions. Editor: The visible stains and smudges on the cover become part of the artwork, reflecting the hands and the places it has visited. Each imperfection tells a story about its handling and existence. It reminds me how art objects carry with them these material histories. Curator: Indeed, the very imperfections you've highlighted suggest a close relationship with labor and use; the evidence of the hand directly participating in creating the artwork becomes an intrinsic part of its character. The drawings weren't just made, they were handled, carried, experienced. Editor: Considering that sketchbooks are traditionally more intimate and private than larger, exhibited works, it suggests that art is also about that intimacy with the creative, material self, you know? It's almost as if this piece gives you permission to acknowledge and play with these more quiet aspects. Curator: Absolutely. I believe Witsen's impressionistic leanings freed him from conventional representational requirements; here, the sketchbook becomes a site where artistic expression merges seamlessly with the mundane actions involved in making art. The materiality isn’t subservient but central. Editor: So much depth to be found even on the cover of the sketchbook. Thank you. I appreciate how the piece transforms with each interaction. Curator: Agreed; it shows us the beautiful capacity of art, when considered materially and conceptually, to evoke, engage, and evolve continuously.