Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 22 c. 1884 - 1891

Willem Witsen made this transfer of a chalk drawing, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century, on a page in a sketchbook. The process of transfer is interesting here. It’s a way of getting an image from one surface to another with pressure. Think of it as a print without the printing press. The chalk original would have been carefully laid down, then another sheet pressed against it. This is a common practice in the decorative arts and printing trades. You can see the soft, granular texture of the chalk has become even more dispersed through this process. It gives the image a fleeting, almost dreamlike quality. It speaks to the artist’s interest in capturing fleeting moments, and subtle atmospheric effects. Witsen’s choice to use this technique, normally associated with reproduction, might suggest an interest in the mass dissemination of images, a sign of the changing times. Ultimately, this modest work reminds us that even in the age of mechanical reproduction, the hand, and the choices of the artist, remain central.