Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 84 c. 1884 - 1887

Editor: So, this is "Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 84" by Willem Witsen, from around 1884 to 1887. It's a pencil drawing on paper housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s so faint, almost ghostly. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, the very act of creating a *abklatsch*, a transfer drawing, is quite telling, isn’t it? Witsen’s drawing exists in relation to another, a presumed original. This points to the contemporary rise of photographic reproduction and how it was impacting the perceived value of art's aura of authenticity. Editor: Reproduction influencing perception... How so? Curator: The Impressionists, and Witsen with them, grappled with the implications of the mechanical reproduction and it’s potential democratization of images and access. In a society where everyone can own a copy of an image, what distinguishes the value, even the aura, of an "original" artwork? Doesn’t the ethereal, fleeting quality, the 'impression,' reflected in Witsen’s drawing perhaps express anxieties concerning art's status amid industrialization and mass society? Editor: So, the medium itself reflects the message, the political and artistic moment? I guess I hadn't thought of that before. It seemed like just a faint drawing, but now I see it has connections to much bigger cultural themes! Curator: Precisely. Considering how an artist grapples with such profound societal shifts definitely impacts how we read the art and the social role of an artist like Witsen during his era. Editor: That’s amazing! I'll definitely think differently about sketches and their context now. Thanks.