Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 38 1874 - 1923

This is a so-called ‘Abklatsch’ - or transfer - of a chalk drawing, by Willem Witsen. The technique is simple but telling: a chalk drawing would have been made on one sheet of paper, and then transferred to another. What you see here is a ghost impression - a vestige of an original drawing. The nature of chalk as a medium is crucial to how the image appears. Chalk consists of soft, earthy materials that leave a powdery residue on the paper. It is this residue that makes the transfer possible, but it also results in a loss of detail and precision. It is the quality of the faint trace that makes this ‘Abklatsch’ so interesting, speaking to the artist's engagement with reproduction and iteration, making it seem not quite original and not quite a copy. The marks appear ephemeral, as if on the verge of disappearing. In its unassuming way, this work asks us to reconsider the value we place on originality, labor, and the very act of creation.