Getallenrijen c. 1887 - 1920

This page of calculations was made by Willem Witsen, though it's not clear exactly when or why. It’s a drawing, in its own way; a collection of almost lyrical marks, forming rows of figures on a lined page, like musical notation. I can imagine the artist lost in thought, doodling, making calculations, letting the numbers flow from the pencil, as if writing a poem. I love the concentration, the patience, the intimacy of these small marks on paper, the way they build up into something almost abstract. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s blackboard paintings, where writing becomes drawing, and drawing becomes a kind of language. It makes me think about the conversations that artists have with each other across time. Witsen might not have known Twombly, but they’re both exploring the same territory – that fuzzy place where language and image meet.