Heuvellandschap met bebouwing Possibly 1914 - 1916

Willem Witsen made this landscape with pencil on paper; a quick sketch, done maybe outside, in the 'Heuvelland'. I can imagine Witsen standing there, squinting, trying to capture the essence of the scene before him. You know, landscape painting is interesting because it's not really about the place itself. It’s more about how we see and feel the world around us. Check out how Witsen used simple lines to suggest form and depth, like the quick strokes suggesting buildings. There’s something so immediate and direct about the marks. They're not trying to fool you into thinking you are looking at a photograph. There's also a kind of honesty about the way he renders the landscape. He lays bare the basic structure of the scene and suggests the essence of the landscape without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. Painters are in an ongoing conversation, picking up on each other's ideas and pushing them further. And with this sketch, Witsen is inviting us to join the conversation and explore the endless possibilities of seeing.