Aardappelrooiende vrouw c. 1886

Willem Witsen made this drawing of a potato-harvesting woman with graphite on paper. Witsen’s choice of humble materials is fitting, given the subject. The soft, grainy quality of the graphite lends a sense of grit to the scene. You can almost feel the weight of the woman’s labor, as she digs in the dirt, collecting the harvest. The medium, with its emphasis on line and tone, creates an intimate view into a world of manual labor. The landscape is sketched, reduced to its essence: a flat horizon, punctuated by a distant village. This work invites us to consider the social context of art, and the working class it often overlooks. By elevating the image of a potato-harvesting woman, Witsen challenges traditional distinctions between high art and the everyday experience of working people. It’s a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, and that the materials and processes used in its making can carry profound social and cultural significance.