Achterlijf van een aangespannen paard 1888 - 1890

Willem Witsen made this drawing, "Achterlijf van een aangespannen paard", with black chalk on paper. The sketch presents an asymmetrical layout, dominated by a void that throws into sharp relief the stark lines and concentrated strokes depicting the rear of a harnessed horse. The texture created by the chalk evokes a sense of immediacy, as though capturing a fleeting moment. In its structure, the drawing hints at the broader fin-de-siècle interest in representing subjects in fragmented forms to destabilize traditional modes of representation. Witsen reduces the horse to its essential lines, challenging our perception by focusing on a partial view. This evokes questions about the nature of representation and how much detail is needed to convey the essence of a subject. The raw energy and reductive approach underscore a departure from academic conventions, inviting a new way of seeing, one that values suggestion over explicit detail.