Twee zittende kinderen c. 1884 - 1887

Editor: Here we have Willem Witsen's "Two Seated Children," a pencil drawing from around 1884 to 1887. There's a softness to it, an unfinished quality, almost dreamlike. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: I see a quiet study in form and familiarity. Witsen's lines, though spare, evoke the universal archetype of childhood. The way the figures are seated, almost mirroring each other, suggests a bond, perhaps siblings or close friends sharing a private space. Do you see any specific symbols or suggestions that give it context? Editor: Not necessarily symbols, but the sketchiness gives them a vulnerability, like fleeting memories. Curator: Precisely. The ephemeral nature of the sketch reinforces that idea. Pencil as a medium, of course, lends itself to immediacy, to capturing a fleeting moment. I’m drawn to their positioning, angled away from the viewer as if in their own world, emphasizing childhood insularity, separate, self-sufficient. What stories might they be silently sharing? Consider also what Witsen, as the artist, might have wanted to capture, what fleeting emotional impression? Editor: I suppose I hadn’t thought of that implied narrative, or how that contributes to its emotional weight. The negative space becomes significant, suggesting both connection and a quiet distance. Curator: And it is that interplay of closeness and separation that lends it a lot of depth. Think about how these sorts of sketches often work in our own memories, as suggestive incomplete markers of more sustained contact. The minimal lines can evoke maximum emotional response because it prompts personal projections. It's an intimate peek into the artist’s world and perhaps our own childhood recollections, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Definitely. I now look at it and imagine a hidden story only they are privy to. Thanks for showing me how much can be expressed with so little!