Bomen 1893 - 1897

Willem Witsen made this sketch of trees sometime around the turn of the 20th century. It's a quick study in graphite, and the hasty lines capture a fleeting impression of nature. Witsen was a Dutchman who came of age in a period when the Netherlands was solidifying its national identity. Artists were at the forefront of defining what it meant to be Dutch, often turning to the landscape as a source of national pride. You see this in the Hague School of painting, with its emphasis on the Dutch countryside and peasant life. Witsen, however, was more cosmopolitan. He studied at the academy in Antwerp, was part of an artists' collective, and traveled widely. His art reflects a tension between a desire to capture the essence of the Dutch landscape and an awareness of international trends. The historian plays a crucial role in unpacking these layers, drawing on letters, exhibition reviews, and other documents to understand how artists like Witsen negotiated their place in a rapidly changing world.