Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 60 c. 1886

This photomechanical print of a chalk drawing was made by Willem Witsen. The piece is dominated by a stark, light-colored surface, disrupted only by subtle, shadowy impressions concentrated towards the upper and right areas. These faint marks evoke a sense of ethereal ephemerality, like fleeting memories barely clinging to the surface. The visual experience is hushed, introspective, and demands a very close, almost meditative observation to discern its delicate features. This work may reflect the artist’s interest in experimentation with reproductive techniques. It can be seen as an exploration of the sign. The chalk marks and their resulting shadows operate as signifiers, pointing to an absent drawing. The 'Abklatsch', German for 'blot', is an impression taken from a drawing, so its incompleteness and transience reflects the artist's deeper engagement with questions of representation and reproduction. The very act of tracing and transferring inherently destabilizes the notion of an original, questioning the fixity of meaning and the authenticity of the artistic gesture.