Vrouwenhoofd, doorgestreept c. 1884 - 1887

Here we see a page of a sketchbook by Willem Witsen, made sometime between 1880 and 1923, with charcoal pencil on paper. The texture of the paper and the marks of the charcoal are plain to see, and they contribute to a sense of immediacy. It's as though we're right there with Witsen, watching him think through his subject in real time. The artist has made a series of overlapping, energetic strokes to construct the image of a woman’s head, then he has gone on to obliterate it. Although drawing is usually considered a preliminary activity, the quality of the lines here suggests that Witsen was after something more than just a preparatory sketch. We might see this drawing as an exploration of the creative process itself: the dynamic interplay between idea and execution, intention and accident. By foregrounding materials and making, Witsen invites us to reconsider traditional hierarchies between art and craft. He has created something powerful out of the simplest of means.