Geknielde boer, op de rug gezien c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen rendered this sketch of a kneeling farmer with pencil on paper. The hunched posture of the figure immediately recalls the stooped and bent figures common in Millet’s paintings of peasants. In this drawing, the farmer kneels, a pose laden with historical significance. Think back to ancient Greece, where supplication was often depicted with figures kneeling before deities, a gesture of humility and reverence. This posture finds echoes in Christian art, where kneeling signifies prayer, submission, and repentance. Witsen's farmer, kneeling in the field, taps into a deep well of collective memory. But here, the religious connotation fades, replaced by the stark reality of labor. The posture speaks of exhaustion, of the relentless demands of working the land. It is a raw, unvarnished portrayal of human endurance. The emotional weight of this image lies in its ability to evoke empathy, a subconscious recognition of shared human toil across time.