Boer in het veld, zeis wettend c. 1886

Willem Witsen's "Boer in het veld, zeis wettend," a black and white etching from 1886, depicts a farmer in a field sharpening his scythe. The figure is positioned on the right side of the composition, and is shown from behind, creating a sense of isolation and solitude. Witsen was a Dutch realist painter and printmaker, and this work is characteristic of his interest in depicting the lives of ordinary people, often in rural settings. It is part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.