Hoofd van een meisje c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen rendered "Hoofd van een meisje" – or "Head of a Girl" - with graphite on paper. Here, the artist uses a common medium to capture an everyday subject: a girl. The work's material influence is profound; the graphite pencil, with its ability to create both delicate lines and smudged shadows, allows Witsen to convey a sense of fleetingness and intimacy. The marks and gradations give shape to a face, bringing out texture, weight and form. This speaks to the tradition of academic drawing, but also to the ready availability of paper and pencil as means of production. The girl is anonymous. In this way, the work can be seen as a sensitive portrayal of the emerging middle classes. Witsen’s choice of humble materials elevates the everyday, blurring the lines between fine art and the more accessible realm of drawing.