Rivierlandschap met een molen Possibly 1906 - 1909

Willem Witsen made this landscape drawing with graphite. I like to imagine Willem, out in the landscape, squinting, trying to capture it all. There are these horizontal bands of land and water, smudgy lines that give a sense of depth. Then, in the foreground, these light, airy marks— almost doodles. I wonder what he was thinking at this point in his life? Was he happy? Melancholy? The drawing has a raw, searching quality, typical of plein air sketches, where the artist is really trying to figure something out, not just copy what they see. It reminds me of the quick landscape drawings of Constable and Corot – those guys were all in conversation, trying to figure out how to capture light and air and space with humble tools. It is like a visual diary entry. Imperfect, questioning, and utterly human.