A lasting Impression. An analysis of the etchings of Willem Witsen (1860-1923) by means of his cultural context, character and artistry.

Abstract

In this research, the cultural context, personality and artistry of the Dutch artist Willem Witsen (1860-1923) are taken into account in order to gain a better understanding of his etchings. Witsen’s own written expressions about (his) art encouraged this approach. His statements are found in the articles he wrote as an ambitious art critic for the periodical De Nieuwe Gids and in his comprehensive correspondence, which is used as main source for this thesis. Witsen artistically matured under the influence of the Movement of Eighty. The prevailing conviction of the movement was that a work of art was an ‘explicitly accurate representation of what goes on in the innermost being of the artist’. Following the French writer Zola, words such as ‘temperament’ and ‘mood’ became keywords in their philosophy. Witsen’s melancholic deposition is visible in his dark and dreary etchings. Many of his artistic choices, for instance the lack of people in his cityscapes, are influenced by his introversion. His restlessness and escapist attitude resulted in a variety of subjects. While his perfectionism frequently led to performance anxiety, Witsen was a very ambitious and intelligent artist with the aim to become a peintre-graveur, with a photographic eye.