Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 36 c. 1887 - 1891

Curator: Willem Witsen created "Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 36" around 1887-1891. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Immediately, I'm struck by its quiet intimacy. Editor: Intimacy, yes, but also a distinct lack of clarity. The landscape seems veiled, almost ghostly. There's a pervasive sense of melancholic ambiguity that I find very powerful. It could be evoking social or emotional disquiet through this hazy landscape. Curator: That ambiguity is precisely what captivates me. Look at the layered effect Witsen achieves using charcoal and coloured pencil, how the soft tonality builds a landscape defined as much by suggestion as by direct representation. There is an elusive form there too... Is that a scaffold? Editor: Indeed. It reads like a structure unfinished or in decay, potentially symbolizing broader societal anxieties related to industrial progress, maybe pointing towards the social displacement faced by rural communities during urbanization. The almost blotted appearance hints at a rupture, a deliberate act of erasure of what was and a challenge for the construction of what's coming next. Curator: The smudging and soft lines contribute to its dreamlike quality, reflecting Impressionistic tendencies of the time while hinting at deeper, perhaps psychological, themes beyond a straightforward plein air sketch. Editor: It definitely resists easy interpretation. Instead, Witsen's technique pushes viewers to question what is absent from the representation, encouraging a reflection on how the unseen might exert greater influence. We’re encouraged to bring our own stories and context. Curator: A fascinating interplay of light, shadow, and intentional ambiguity that elevates a simple sketch into a compelling statement about transience and the unseen. Editor: Agreed. The very imperfections invite engagement with ongoing societal construction and erasure – a subtle reminder of the impermanence of the world around us.