Bebouwing 1901 - 1907

Willem Witsen sketched 'Bebouwing' with graphite, probably en plein air. You can almost feel him working, quickly trying to capture the scene and get the composition right. There is something so raw and honest about a drawing like this. The graphite is dry and a little scratchy, like charcoal, and you can see the varying pressure of Witsen’s hand in the thickness of the lines. Look at how he captures the vertical lines, some are confident and others are a little hesitant. This is a process: feeling, seeing, and trying to get it down on paper. There are no mistakes, just adjustments. The whole image feels like it could shift or evaporate at any moment. Witsen’s work reminds me of the early sketches of Manet, quick impressions, made on the go. Art is not about perfect rendering, but about capturing a feeling, a moment, an impression. It is an ongoing conversation across time.