Boer met een zeis op het land c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen created this drawing, "Boer met een zeis op het land", at an unknown date using graphite. The drawing's composition strikes a compelling balance between detail and suggestion, immediately engaging us with its textural richness. Witsen masterfully employs graphite to render the figure of a farmer with a scythe. The density of marks varies across the surface, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. Notice how the upper portion of the drawing features looser, more gestural lines that convey the atmospheric quality of the landscape, while the farmer is rendered with more deliberate strokes. The artist's structural approach, emphasizing line and form, transforms the mundane scene into an exploration of spatial and visual relationships. Through the strategic use of line, Witsen destabilizes fixed meanings, prompting us to engage with the artwork's representation of labor and rural life. It remains a site of ongoing interpretation.