Wagen in de Molensteeg te Wijk bij Duurstede 1906 - 1907

Editor: We are looking at Willem Witsen's graphite drawing "Wagen in de Molensteeg te Wijk bij Duurstede," made between 1906 and 1907. It's currently at the Rijksmuseum. The hurried, sketchy style almost obscures the subject. What strikes you about this work? Curator: For me, it’s about understanding the historical context surrounding its making and the accessibility of its materials. Witsen's choice of graphite for a cityscape hints at his perception of it as preliminary work. Editor: Preliminary? Curator: Think of graphite—readily available, easily transportable. Was Witsen capturing a fleeting moment in the urban landscape or documenting the infrastructure enabling commerce? How does the 'ready-madeness' of his medium shape our understanding? Consider the material limitations he faces and the social landscape that permits graphite drawing’s elevation beyond a mere utility material. What labor produced it? Editor: That's a great point. How the industrial availability of graphite as opposed to, say, charcoal or pastels changes what he can capture. He is interested in showing laborers at work. Is that an aspect to consider as well? Curator: Precisely. This seemingly straightforward choice has implications far beyond simple representation. Graphite enables both mass production in the world Witsen is depicting and artistic accessibility to a much broader range of creators, as well. Is the industrializing world implicit in his chosen medium? Editor: So, in thinking about this drawing as not just a depiction of a wagon but an outcome of material conditions and labor processes, it speaks to broader societal changes. Curator: Exactly. And by considering those forces we move closer to an understanding of art's role as more than a thing of beauty. We reveal it to be enmeshed in systems of making and material value. Editor: This materialist reading has completely changed how I see this sketch. I now understand this drawing shows both social life and how material accessibility allowed him to capture that.