Gezicht op de Binnen-Amstel in Amsterdam c. 1906 - 1907

Willem Witsen made this print of the Binnen-Amstel in Amsterdam, but when? It’s a scene built up of many tiny marks, a mesh of lines that create depth and form, like a spider web made of ink. The whole image shimmers in tones of gray and brown, reflecting the watery scene itself. Look closely at the bridge, see how each little stroke builds up the solid form, and then dissolves into the reflection below. It’s like the artist is saying, “Here is a bridge, but also, here is the fleeting, fluid nature of reality.” The density of marks describes the buildings beyond, while the sky is all wispy and indefinite. The artist used a drypoint needle to directly scratch into the plate; you can see the burr of the metal creating soft, velvety darks. Like Whistler, Witsen was part of that artistic generation who reveled in the beauty of the everyday, finding poetry in the mundane. It's this kind of looking and mark making that reminds us that art is just as much about the journey as it is about the destination.