Hal, mogelijk van Kasteel Warmelo te Diepenheim c. 1887 - 1888

Editor: So, this is "Hal, mogelijk van Kasteel Warmelo te Diepenheim," a drawing by Willem Witsen, likely from 1887-1888. It’s pencil and pen on toned paper. I'm struck by the darkness, that heavy shadow and the rather claustrophobic feel despite it depicting an entryway. What story do you think this drawing is trying to tell? Curator: I see this sketch not just as a depiction of a hallway, but as a record of bourgeois domesticity at the fin de siècle. The sketch emphasizes the constraints, literally, the walls and enclosure of the interior, reflecting perhaps the limited roles afforded to women in that space. The tight perspective and heavy shading could suggest the weight of social expectations, the confinement within those domestic walls. Do you see how the doorway offers a tantalizing glimpse outwards, but remains framed, inaccessible? Editor: That's a really interesting way of looking at it. I was mainly thinking about the darkness of the drawing and the almost oppressive weight of the architecture. The connection with social roles of the period makes it more clear why it leaves a heavy feeling. It seems Witsen captured this internal conflict on the page. Curator: Exactly! Think of the Dutch 'burgerlijk cultuur', the middle-class culture that was defining societal values, especially ideas of domesticity. What impact did class and gender have on who could access not just physical spaces, but representation? Witsen himself, from a wealthy background, provides a particular, and inevitably skewed, point of view. Editor: So, it's about more than just the physical space, but the social space too, and how art reflects those power dynamics? I will have to keep that in mind from now on! Thanks for your help! Curator: Absolutely, looking at the politics and people implicit within the architecture can bring to light so much more.