Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 26 c. 1884 - 1887

Curator: Hmm, what's our mood today? Introspective, perhaps? Editor: Absolutely. This hazy landscape, or whatever it is, gives me all the quiet feels. What are we looking at here? Curator: This is titled "Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 26", and it was created by Willem Witsen around 1884 to 1887. It is on view here at the Rijksmuseum. He used pencil and pastel on paper to conjure up this, let’s call it an, ethereal scene. Editor: "Ethereal" nails it! But what is it? Honestly, it's like a ghost tried to draw a landscape. Curator: The "Abklatsch" in the title hints at its process; it is a technique related to printmaking—essentially a transfer or rubbing of an image. What fascinates me is how this particular technique serves Impressionism so well—dissolving clear form into feeling. Editor: Now that you mention it, I see the suggestion of trees or a riverbank. But the focus seems to be the act of seeing, that moment when form appears from abstraction. I get that. How do the pencil and pastel work together? Curator: Beautifully, I think! The pencil probably defined some initial forms, or the original drawing that the pastel dust then picked up during the transfer. The pastel adds the dreamy quality, creating atmosphere and softening the linear structure. Witsen does a wonderful job of playing with light and shadow using such limited means. Editor: You know, this feels unfinished and complete at the same time. It reminds me of half-remembered dreams or impressions. You glimpse something, and it shifts as you try to hold on to it. Curator: Precisely! The transience is the point. Think of how many landscapes must have flashed through Witsen’s eyes. He's chosen to share with us the barest trace of one—as if whispering a secret. Editor: Well, it's a pretty compelling secret. This piece invites lingering; I keep finding new forms within the haze. It’s a nice little meditation, really. Curator: Absolutely, a whisper of a memory rendered in pencil and pastel, a fugitive glimpse, and a demonstration of Witsen's deep understanding of the poetics of seeing.