Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 15 c. 1896 - 1899

This is Willem Witsen's 'Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 15', a transfer of a chalk drawing, now held at the Rijksmuseum. The pale surface is activated by the ghost of an image, where tonal variations and smudges of chalk suggest a scene emerging from the depths of the paper. Witsen’s process here is as revealing as the subject. The act of transfer, or ‘Abklatsch,’ introduces an element of chance. The original drawing is mediated, altered by the act of reproduction. What remains is an ethereal echo, which prompts us to consider the nature of representation. It destabilizes the conventional view of art as a direct transcription of reality. The lack of firm lines and distinct forms encourages a different kind of seeing. We’re invited to contemplate the space between clarity and ambiguity, presence and absence. This drawing prompts us to consider how meaning is constructed not just through what is shown, but also through what is suggested, alluded to, and ultimately, left unseen.