Plukkende jonge vrouw c. 1882 - 1884

This drawing by Willem Witsen captures a young woman picking, perhaps flowers or fruit, her arms reaching upwards in a gesture that is both simple and profound. Consider this reaching: it is the very essence of human aspiration. We see it echoed across centuries, from the outstretched hand of God in Michelangelo's Creation of Adam to countless depictions of figures grasping for divine knowledge or earthly fulfillment. In each instance, the gesture embodies a reaching beyond, fueled by an intrinsic human desire. The act of picking, seemingly mundane, is laden with these same ancient longings. Notice the rough, unfinished quality of the drawing. It lends an immediacy to the scene, as if Witsen sought to capture not just the act of picking, but the fleeting moment of desire itself. What is it she seeks? Perhaps the sweetness of fruit, or the simple beauty of a flower, but the reaching is more potent than the object. The collective memory of such reaching informs our understanding, connecting us to a shared human experience. It’s a reminder that even in the simplest of acts, the echoes of our shared past reverberate.