Gezicht op de achtergevels van huizen langs een gracht in Dordrecht c. 1900

Willem Witsen made this etching of the rear facades of houses along a canal in Dordrecht, Netherlands sometime between 1880 and 1923. Witsen belonged to a group of Dutch artists known as the Amsterdam Impressionists, who, inspired by French artists like Monet, captured the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. But there's something else going on here too. Witsen came from a wealthy family and actively participated in Amsterdam's artistic and social circles. The choice to depict the back of these houses and their reflection in the canal, rather than the front, suggests an interest in the everyday lives of the people who lived there. The etching technique itself, with its emphasis on line and tone, lends itself to a certain grittiness, hinting at the social realities of the time. To fully appreciate this work, one might explore the social and economic conditions of the Netherlands at the turn of the century and the role of artists in documenting these transformations. We might also investigate the networks of artists and patrons that sustained Witsen’s practice.