Huizen met zonwering over de balkons aan het Canal Grande te Venetië 1914

Willem Witsen's pencil drawing captures houses with awnings over the balconies on the Canal Grande in Venice. It’s not dated, but I can imagine Witsen outside, charcoal in hand, on a sunny day, trying to capture the light bouncing off the water. Looking at the image, I sympathize with Witsen. How do you capture light in pencil? I feel him trying to find the balance between darkness and light. It's all grays, charcoal grays, but he also writes notes on the image. It’s pale, a jumble, but it looks like an interesting space, despite being monochromatic. Witsen isn't just showing us a scene; he is inviting us into his process of seeing and feeling Venice. It's a conversation, really, across time and space, between him, Venice, and now us. Painting—or drawing—isn't just about depicting a thing, but a way of thinking and experiencing. It’s about the feel, the space, and the exchange.