Studieblad met bomen, geometrische vormen en vingers 1874 - 1923

Willem Witsen made this drawing, "Studieblad met bomen, geometrische vormen en vingers," using graphite on paper. The composition is dominated by a large, ethereal handprint, its fingers splayed across the page. The subtle gradations of graphite create a soft, blurred effect, contrasting with the hard lines of a sketched hand and geometric shapes scattered in the background. Witsen juxtaposes organic forms, like the suggestion of trees, with mathematical shapes, setting up a dialectic between nature and abstract thought. The hand itself becomes a sign, a gesture towards understanding or perhaps grasping the elusive nature of form. The sketch challenges our perception by blurring boundaries between representation and abstraction, between what we see and how we interpret it. The drawing invites a deconstruction of fixed meanings and suggests that reality is not fixed, but is a fluid, ever-changing construct.