Studie, mogelijk van een heuvellandschap c. 1882 - 1884

This charcoal drawing of a possible hilly landscape was made by Willem Witsen. Here, the peaks of the hills evoke a sense of formidable, natural power. Mountains have long been symbols of steadfastness. In ancient traditions, mountains were often seen as the meeting place between the earthly and the divine. Think of Mount Olympus in Greek mythology, the home of the gods. These natural formations are not merely geological features; they carry the weight of cultural memory. What is fascinating is how the emotional resonance of the mountain endures. In the Romantic era, artists like Caspar David Friedrich used mountainscapes to evoke feelings of awe and the sublime. The solitary wanderer atop the peak becomes a symbol of human insignificance in the face of nature's grandeur. This motif of the mountain reflects our deep, subconscious recognition of nature's overwhelming power. This landscape, sketched with charcoal, speaks to the timeless human experience of confronting the monumental forces of our planet.