Landschap c. 1886 - 1891

Editor: So, here we have "Landschap," or "Landscape," a pencil and pen sketch on paper by Willem Witsen, likely from between 1886 and 1891. It looks like a spread from a sketchbook, and the composition feels almost…sparse, maybe even a little bleak? What do you see in this piece that I might be missing? Curator: Bleak... yes, but consider that the sketch itself may represent the transient nature of a scene. Witsen isn't trying to give us a fully realized picture; he’s capturing a feeling, an impression. The Impressionists were all about feeling! Think of a fleeting moment by a Dutch canal. The artist likely dashed this off to remember that scene and come back to it. Editor: I suppose I wasn't giving enough credit to that "Impression" bit. What do you make of the choice to essentially mirror the landscape across the two pages? It almost feels like looking at ink blots. Curator: The mirroring…exactly! Like peering into your soul. It reflects the subjectivity of the experience. Maybe he's drawing not just the landscape, but how the landscape makes him *feel*. Think of it as the outside reflecting the inside, and vice versa. What a profound connection, no? Do you feel a connection? Editor: I think I do, now that you mention it! I was too caught up on it being "unfinished", and I like the idea that maybe that feeling is part of the point. It is growing on me; thank you. Curator: Oh, the joy of discovering those hidden layers. Remember art speaks when it's ready; let your response emerge organically!