Gezicht op het Damrak te Amsterdam met een bouwput c. 1904 - 1905

Willem Witsen made this drawing of the Damrak in Amsterdam with graphite on paper. The way Witsen builds up tone with these layered marks, it's like he’s thinking through the subject, figuring it out as he goes. You can see him working out the structure of the buildings, the way the light hits them. Look at the density of the marks in the foreground, describing the buildings that dominate the scene, compared to the lighter touch above, suggesting the sky. It's like a visual record of his thought process, his way of seeing. I love how the sketch captures a moment in time, the construction site adding a layer of change and transformation to the scene. There’s a parallel here with the work of Whistler, another artist drawn to the shifting urban landscape. Ultimately, this drawing isn’t just a depiction of a place, but a record of the artist's encounter with it, a reminder that art is as much about the process as it is about the final product.