Man met een stok onder zijn arm 1888 - 1907

Editor: So here we have Willem Witsen’s "Man met een stok onder zijn arm," made sometime between 1888 and 1907. It's a pen and ink drawing, very simple in its rendering, almost skeletal. What do you see in this piece beyond just a quick sketch? Curator: I see a potent engagement with the labor of seeing and depicting. Witsen is using a very accessible medium – pen and ink on paper – democratizing the portrait. It’s about the act of mark-making, reducing the figure to essential lines, a shorthand for human form. This moves away from the preciousness of traditional portraiture. Where did Witsen show or share these drawings? Editor: Good question, I don't know! Curator: Understanding the social context is key. Was this intended for public consumption or was it a personal study? If it were private, that allows Witsen a freedom in his materials and process that is deeply revealing. This emphasis on the artistic process foreshadows later modernist explorations of materiality. We have to remember that even "high art" relies on available, commercial materials and is bound by the socio-economic realities of artistic production. What is he leaving out of the figure? Editor: Definitely! Thinking about what isn't there forces me to reconsider what is and why it matters. I wouldn’t have thought about the materials as making a statement on their own before. Thanks! Curator: Exactly! And by using this simplified, readily available method of drawing, Witsen makes art more accessible. He foregrounds the act of creation, prompting us to consider who gets to make art and what materials they have access to. Hopefully this drawing expands what we understand as a work of art.