Gezicht op de poort van de molen Rijn en Lek te Wijk bij Duurstede 1906 - 1907

Editor: Here we have Willem Witsen's graphite and pen drawing, "Gezicht op de poort van de molen Rijn en Lek te Wijk bij Duurstede," created around 1906 or 1907. It feels so... unfinished, almost dreamlike, capturing a fleeting impression of this mill gate. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: It's the ambiguity, isn't it? Witsen's sketchy lines seem to be asking, "What is permanent, and what is merely perceived?" He gives us the bare bones of reality - the architecture of the mill, the landscape in the distance. It invites me to recall a time when artists saw their drawings as the genesis for feelings about what we feel, what is real. What emotions come to mind? Editor: I guess it does give a nostalgic kind of vibe. It feels like it's asking you to flesh out the scene in your own mind. It makes me wonder, was he just jotting down a quick reminder, or did he see this sketch as something complete in itself? Curator: Perhaps both. Impressionism thrives on the momentary, the sketch precisely capturing that fleeting experience. I love that he's focused on structure, it begs us to understand his work isn’t trying to provide visual records of his life, rather what he felt his life was about, its textures. But what's more exciting than knowing is the asking. And in a world so eager for conclusions, aren't we grateful for questions? Editor: That makes sense. The sketchiness gives it an open-ended feel, inviting us to complete the story. I hadn't thought of it that way, of the incompleteness inviting more thought! Curator: Exactly! We become collaborators. And isn’t that more rewarding than just being passive observers?