Gezicht op pakhuizen aan het water en een hefbrug c. 1911

Willem Witsen made this view of warehouses on the water with a drawbridge using etching. The whole piece is made up of what looks like thousands of tiny scratches, each one placed with precision. What I love about it is that it doesn’t try to hide its process – it embraces it! Look at how the dark, almost shimmering reflections of the building in the water are created by the density of these marks. They don't quite line up with the building itself, which gives it this kind of wobbly, fluid feel. And yet, there’s a real sense of structure and depth – the building feels solid and imposing. It reminds me of Whistler, another artist obsessed with capturing the mood and atmosphere of urban life, but Witsen brings his own unique, slightly edgy sensibility to it. For me, it's a reminder that art is always a conversation, an ongoing exploration of ideas and techniques.