Landschap of wolkenlucht 1906 - 1907

Willem Witsen made this drawing of a landscape or cloudy sky with graphite on paper sometime between 1870 and 1923. It’s all about process, isn’t it? I mean, look at that graphite, so soft, almost like he's feeling his way through the clouds. The surface is so delicate. See how the graphite sits right on top, like dust? It’s not trying to be a window onto the world. It’s about the hand, the mark, the paper. The lines themselves are tentative, almost like he’s asking the paper what it wants to be. Check out the darker area to the right. See how the strokes build up to suggest both form and depth? It’s a beautiful example of how a simple mark can do so much. It reminds me of Twombly, where the gesture itself becomes the subject. Art is a conversation, always asking questions, never giving easy answers.