Aangemeerde schuiten aan het Damrak in Amsterdam c. 1905 - 1906

Willem Witsen made this etching, “Aangemeerde schuiten aan het Damrak in Amsterdam,” using a muted palette to depict boats moored on a canal. There’s a real fluidity to the work, with soft gradations between light and shadow. The surface of the water, rendered with such delicate lines, is amazing. And, if you look closely, the texture of the boats is built up with layers of cross-hatching, giving them a sense of volume, and weight. The dark, almost velvety quality of the tones used reminds me a little of Whistler’s etchings of the Thames, but with a more grounded, Dutch sensibility, maybe? Witsen was part of a group of Dutch artists known as the Amsterdam Impressionists and like them, he was fascinated by the effects of light and atmosphere, and that feels present here. Ultimately, it’s a moody, poetic rendering of a familiar scene, one that invites contemplation and perhaps a little bit of melancholic reverie.