Twee sjouwers en een wagen in de Molensteeg te Wijk bij Duurstede 1906 - 1907

Willem Witsen made this drawing of 'Two haulers and a cart in the Molensteeg in Wijk bij Duurstede' with charcoal. It's all about the process, isn't it? Look closely. You can see how the charcoal kind of crumbles as it moves across the page, giving a real sense of the grit and weight in this scene. Witsen isn't trying to hide anything; the sketchiness is the point. The charcoal is thick in places, almost like the shadows are pressing down, but elsewhere it's so light that the forms appear to float. I'm drawn to the way Witsen uses the charcoal to create these fragmented shapes. It is almost like he is feeling his way through the scene, capturing glimpses of the figures and the cart. The strokes are rough, the lines are broken, but somehow it all comes together to create a sense of movement, like the haulers are about to pull that cart right off the page. Think of Daumier – he had a similar way of capturing the energy of everyday life. It’s all just marks on paper, but it feels so alive.