Zij-ingang met houten trap van de Krom Boomssloot 69 in Amsterdam c. 1906

Willem Witsen made this print of the side entrance with wooden stairs at Krom Boomssloot 69 in Amsterdam. The etching technique gives the image a quality that feels like a memory, a little faded around the edges, or like a scene viewed through a rain-streaked window. I imagine Witsen, plate in hand, carefully applying acid to create the network of lines that define the architecture, the wooden stairs, and the figure standing there. The light falls in such a way that it almost obscures the details, but it's also suggestive. What's behind the door? Where does that staircase lead? The limited palette—a narrow range of blacks and grays—makes me think about Whistler and other artists who were exploring tonalism and mood at the turn of the century. It’s as if Witsen is less concerned with the specifics of the scene, and more with the overall feeling, the atmosphere of a quiet, hidden corner of the city. And maybe it’s that ambiguity that draws me in.