Schetsboek met 16 bladen 1870 - 1923

Willem Witsen made this sketchbook with 16 pages, using drawing as his primary medium. The directness of the graphite on paper is key to understanding the work, a glimpse into the artist's immediate observations and thought processes. Here, Witsen uses the qualities of graphite to describe the qualities of the scene. With quick strokes he captures the essence of form and texture through marks, smudges, and varying line weights. It's a study in tonal values, where the darkness of the graphite is utilized to suggest depth and shadow. The method of production here is immediate, focusing on the gesture, recording what the artist sees and how it feels to be present in a particular place and time. The sketchbook, as a technology, democratized art, allowing for spontaneity. This direct approach, with an emphasis on process, blurs boundaries between 'high art' and the everyday.