Abklatsch van een tekening c. 1897 - 1899

Willem Witsen created this intriguing drawing called "Abklatsch van een tekening," meaning "rubbing of a drawing" in Dutch. The drawing presents us with an interplay of presence and absence. The smudges and marks across the paper suggest not only the image of a drawing but also of the process of its creation. The act of "rubbing" or transferring an image can be traced back to ancient practices of preserving and replicating sacred images, like early woodcut prints, or even the "Veil of Veronica," the cloth said to bear the face of Christ. The image is not original, but a trace, pregnant with symbolism. Consider the psychological implications, the imprint of something that once was, a relic of memory. In this case, Witsen captures a visual echo, a spectral presence that haunts the surface of the paper. Like the ouroboros, this image contains the beginning and the end in a non-linear, continuous cycle. It has resurfaced, and it continues to evolve, with new meanings in each context.