Pakhuizen aan een gracht 1870 - 1923

Willem Witsen captured ‘Warehouses on a canal’ with pencil on paper, although we don’t know exactly when. Witsen came from an upper-class background and yet he often depicted the working class. Here, the workers on the docks are rendered with a certain distance. The artist, while seemingly sympathetic, remains outside of their world. The warehouses themselves seem to be the true subject of the piece, their imposing size and repetitive structure reflecting the burgeoning industrial era in the Netherlands. But look closer: the reflections in the water soften the harshness of the industrial architecture. This is a society grappling with change. The emotional tenor is one of observation, a quiet contemplation of a world transforming, as Witsen captures a moment of transition, inviting us to reflect on the human cost of progress.