Gezicht op de kust bij St. Andrews te Canada 1915

Here's Willem Witsen's graphite-on-paper sketch of the coast at St. Andrews, Canada. Imagine Witsen standing there, squinting slightly against the coastal light, rapidly sketching the rocks, trees and sea. See how he's built up the forms with layers of hatched marks? It's like he's feeling his way through the scene. I wonder what he was thinking as he rendered this landscape. Was he thinking of Constable, and the English picturesque tradition? Probably, painters always do! Did he feel alone? Or at one with nature? Look at those wiry trees, clinging to the cliff edge. Witsen is doing more than just depicting a scene; he is also capturing the emotional resonance of a place. There's an interesting contrast between the graphic marks on the left and the atmospheric haze to the right. He's inviting us to complete the image with our imaginations. Painters are constantly in dialogue with each other, reaching back across time, borrowing, stealing, and riffing on what came before. And we get to be part of the conversation, too.