Zittend meisje c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen created this graphite drawing, "Zittend Meisje", which translates to "Sitting Girl", on paper. The composition, sparse and delicate, presents an intimate glimpse into a private moment. The use of line is crucial here. Witsen employs a network of faint, almost hesitant lines to define the girl's form. These lines don’t commit to a rigid boundary; instead, they suggest form, allowing the figure to emerge softly from the pale background. The shading is minimal, focusing on capturing light and shadow. The overall effect is one of transience and ephemerality, echoing the fleeting nature of childhood itself. Witsen captures not just a likeness, but a feeling. The very act of drawing, with its inherent linearity and dependence on the artist's hand, emphasizes the subjective, constructed nature of representation. We are reminded that what we see is filtered through the artist's perception and translated onto paper through the simplest means: line and shade.