Brug, mogelijk Waterloo Bridge te Londen c. 1888s

Editor: This is Willem Witsen's sketch, "Brug, mogelijk Waterloo Bridge te Londen," created around 1888. It's a graphite drawing. I'm struck by how raw it is, like a fleeting impression captured on the spot. What's your perspective on it? Curator: Well, I see a confluence of labor and industry depicted through the very materiality of this graphite drawing. Think about the 19th century— the intense industrialization, the burgeoning urban landscapes... The bridge, ostensibly the subject, is merely the connective tissue. The *real* subject is the ceaseless activity and commerce flowing *across* it. Editor: Connective tissue... That's interesting. I hadn't considered the human element so directly. Curator: Precisely. Graphite itself is an industrial product, a processed material, right? Its accessibility meant sketches like these were becoming commonplace – documenting the changing face of labour and production. And this almost feverish quality hints at the dynamism of the era. Do you notice how the sketch feels incomplete, hinting at something beyond its confines? Editor: Yes! It feels very immediate, as if Witsen was trying to capture a sense of immediacy, a raw, lived moment. Curator: Exactly. And in doing so, he’s blurring the lines between high art and something more utilitarian, almost journalistic. He's highlighting the everyday through its production. Think about the rise of photography at the time, and its impact on painting. Why painstakingly render when you can sketch, documenting, archiving labor and process more rapidly and cheaply? Editor: I see your point. By focusing on the materials and their purpose, the meaning of the drawing shifts completely! I initially saw a bridge; now I see a study of industrial activity! Curator: That tension is key. It transforms our viewing from aesthetic appreciation to social and material investigation. Editor: This gives me a completely new understanding of sketches. Thanks!