Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 34 c. 1887 - 1891

This transfer of a chalk drawing on page 34 was created by Willem Witsen, who lived from 1860 to 1923. Witsen was part of the Amsterdam Impressionism movement, a group of artists who captured daily life with a sensitivity to light and atmosphere. It’s an intimate work, and while the subject is indistinct, it’s hard not to feel like we’re intruding on a private moment. The muted tones and the nature of the chalk transfer itself give the image a sense of transience. The work resonates with the sensibilities of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time of great social and political change when the representation of identity and everyday life was undergoing a dramatic shift. Here, the personal and the political intertwine as Witsen subtly challenges the traditional, formal portraiture of the time, embracing the beauty of the fleeting, the imperfect, and the intimate.