Gezicht van de Waalseilandsgracht op de Bantammerbrug in Amsterdam c. 1913

Willem Witsen made this view of Waalseilandsgracht on the Bantammerbrug in Amsterdam using etching, and it’s all about the beauty of tonal variation. It’s a real symphony in brown, or maybe a melancholic jazz riff. There’s a limited palette, and a sense of the artist really trying to capture the way light hits the water, how it makes the buildings seem to vibrate. Look at how Witsen renders the reflections in the water – these aren’t exact copies of what’s above, but loose, evocative marks that suggest movement and change. The whole piece feels very immediate, like a fleeting moment captured in ink. The way Witsen has handled the etching reminds me a little of Whistler, actually, although Witsen feels rawer, less polished. And it kind of exemplifies how art is really an ongoing conversation, artists responding to and riffing off each other. What do you think?