Gezicht op een rotsachtige kust c. 1915 - 1919

Willem Witsen etched this rocky coastal scene, a landscape imbued with a quiet yet profound symbolism. The rocks themselves, steadfast against the ceaseless sea, evoke a sense of enduring strength, reminiscent of ancient geological formations and their silent witness to the passage of time. Consider the enduring motif of the shore, where land meets water – a boundary, a threshold. This liminal space echoes in countless myths and legends as a place of transformation, a border between worlds. Think of the ancient Greeks, for whom the sea was both a source of life and a realm of perilous unknowns, or the Celtic tales of lands swallowed by the waves, emerging and receding in a cyclical dance. The sea, with its vastness and its unknowable depths, speaks to our collective subconscious, stirring primal memories of creation myths and the fluidity of existence. The somber tones and the stark simplicity of the composition further enhance the mood of introspection, inviting contemplation on the eternal interplay between humanity and nature. It is a visual echo of the deep, often turbulent currents that flow within us all.