Reproductie van tekening met portret van Karamjit Singh Sahib Bahadur, prins van Kapurthala, door Willem Witsen after 1915

This drawing of Karamjit Singh Sahib Bahadur, Prince of Kapurthala, is a reproduction of an original by Willem Witsen. It’s an unassuming work, rendered with graphite, maybe charcoal, on paper. The marks are direct and economical. Look closely at the subject’s hair, how the strokes build up the form, dark in some areas, lighter in others, creating depth and volume. The artist seems less interested in capturing a likeness, more in exploring the tonal range of the medium. It’s as if the artist is thinking through the act of drawing itself, a process of layering and refining, a constant push and pull between observation and abstraction. The sketch brings to mind other artists of the time, like James McNeill Whistler, in his exploration of tonal harmony. The piece invites us to consider how artists build upon the ideas of others, constantly engaging in a dialogue across time and space. Ultimately, the beauty lies in its open-endedness, its capacity to evoke multiple associations.