Vrouw bij een waslijn c. 1897 - 1910

This sketch of a woman by a washing line was made by Willem Witsen, probably in his studio, using pencil on paper. You can see Witsen’s commitment to the artistic process through his active, searching lines. There’s no attempt to hide or conceal his marks. What I really appreciate here is the honesty and the lack of pretension. The texture of the paper is still visible through the image. The pencil lines are varied in tone, from light, tentative strokes to darker, more defined marks, which is great. It’s as though you are seeing the artist thinking through the image, right there on the page. Look at the circular form, maybe a ball, or weight, hanging from the washing line – it's rendered with quick, scribbled marks, suggesting movement and weight. This reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker, in terms of its pared back, honest observation. Like her, Witsen seems unafraid to embrace the unfinished, to leave things open to interpretation. For me, it’s this sense of ambiguity that makes the drawing so compelling.