Gezicht op een Amsterdamse gracht, mogelijk de Keizersgracht met Felix Meritis 1901 - 1907

Willem Witsen made this drawing of a canal in Amsterdam, possibly the Keizersgracht, with what looks like charcoal. You know, sometimes the most interesting thing about a drawing is how the artist chooses to simplify. Look at how Witsen captures the essence of the architecture with these quick, almost scribbled lines. It’s like he’s saying, "Here's the idea of a building, the feeling of it." The texture created by the charcoal is so immediate, it feels like you could reach out and smudge it. The dark, dense marks of the tree contrast with the lighter, more delicate lines of the buildings, creating a dynamic tension. I think of artists like Giorgio Morandi, who found endless inspiration in the simplest of forms. Witsen, like Morandi, shows us that art isn't about perfect representation, but about capturing the essence of a thing, a place, a feeling. It’s about seeing the world in a new, maybe slightly imperfect, but deeply personal way.