Drie figuurstudies c. 1888 - 1891

Willem Witsen made this sketch of three figures using graphite on paper sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Here, we see three figures in a sparse composition, quickly rendered, a snapshot capturing a candid moment. Witsen was a part of the Amsterdam Impressionism movement, which turned its attention to the everyday urban life of the Netherlands. This aesthetic was shaped by the rise of photography, which altered visual culture and made possible a new emphasis on capturing fleeting moments. Artists like Witsen were part of a broader social shift, as they often aligned themselves with progressive political causes. They explored new ways of representing the world around them, but in ways that were accessible to a wider audience. To fully understand a work like this, we often rely on archival research such as letters and exhibition reviews to understand its significance within artistic and social contexts. The meaning of this sketch is contingent on these social and institutional contexts.