Annotaties c. 1888 - 1891

Willem Witsen made these annotations with graphite on paper, though we do not know when. The material and processes used here couldn't be simpler: graphite, a readily available mineral, applied to a sheet of paper, a relatively inexpensive ground. These are not traditional artistic materials, but neither are they exactly from everyday life. The paper is not for writing; the graphite is not being used to engineer. It is a kind of in-between state, which shows up in the informality of the mark-making. Witsen's handwriting and diagrammatic sketches are the main material. The quickness and lack of finish reflects the nature of the paper and pencil as a support for thinking, a space for the artist's mind to work something out. The annotations stand apart from traditional ideas about fine art, inviting us to consider the artist's process as an integral aspect of artistic creation.