Gezicht onder een brug met twee roeiboten c. 1914 - 1919

Willem Witsen made this etching, View under a bridge with two rowboats, using brown ink to capture a tranquil waterscape. I love the depth Witsen coaxes from a limited palette! The subtle gradations of brown create a layered effect, drawing us into the watery depths under the bridge. You can almost feel the dampness of the stone and the stillness of the water. He really captures the quiet of the scene. What was Witsen thinking as he made this? Maybe he was contemplating the passage of time, the way light and shadow play, or the reflection of the world above in the water below. There's a feeling of solitude here. It reminds me of Whistler's nocturnes, but with a Dutch sensibility, a kind of groundedness. It’s like Witsen is inviting us to pause and reflect. We’re all in conversation, aren't we? Artists responding to each other across time, like echoes in a grand hall. It’s this shared language that makes art so alive.