Portret van Marie Witsen-Schorr c. 1910

Willem Witsen made this portrait of Marie Witsen-Schorr on a woodblock, using soft, warm sepia tones. It's like he was caressing the wood, coaxing out Marie's image through gentle scrapes and lines. The surface has this wonderful, tactile quality, and the way he's scratched into the wood, it's almost like a drawing. There’s a real sense of intimacy, like he’s captured a fleeting moment. Look at the subtle way he's rendered her hair; each strand seems to dance across the surface. It’s full of light and shadow. The whole piece feels so alive, like a conversation. You know, this reminds me a little of Edvard Munch, especially in the way Witsen uses those expressive lines to convey emotion. It is as if he also is having a conversation with the wood. For me it encapsulates the idea that art is never really finished, but simply abandoned.