Gezicht in Londen, mogelijk de hoek van Trafalgar Square en A4 1888 - 1891

Editor: This drawing, "Gezicht in Londen, mogelijk de hoek van Trafalgar Square en A4," was created by Willem Witsen between 1888 and 1891 using graphite and pen on paper. The energy of the strokes captures, for me, the feeling of a busy city, yet it's unfinished, hinting at something unseen. What’s your perspective on it? Curator: Well, looking at this, I’m immediately struck by how it reflects the burgeoning public sphere of late 19th-century London. Witsen is not just sketching a cityscape; he’s capturing a moment in the city's self-representation. How do you think the "unfinished" quality contributes to this representation? Does it say something about the experience of modernity itself? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn't considered it that way. I saw the sketchiness as a snapshot, but maybe it's more about the ephemeral and rapidly changing nature of city life. Could the incompleteness also reflect Witsen's own position as an outsider observing London's social structures? Curator: Exactly. And remember, Trafalgar Square was not just a pretty space; it was a site of demonstrations and political gatherings. A square sketch might also represent the public space in relation to how he intends to show it to an audience. Is he merely observing, or is he documenting the mood in anticipation of what is to come? Editor: So, Witsen’s choice of Trafalgar Square as a subject matters, reflecting not only his aesthetic interests but also the socio-political tensions brewing at the time. I learned about how artworks, even quick sketches, carry a weight of social context and artistic choices. Curator: And that’s the power of seeing art through a historical lens. This isn't just a sketch of a place; it’s a window into a specific moment in time, shaped by social forces and individual perception.