Studie van mevr. M. Witsen

Studie van mevr. M. Witsen — Study of Mrs. M. Witsen — painted around 1900, presents itself explicitly as a study rather than a finished portrait, the studie designation signaling work done in direct observation with the aim of capturing something essential quickly rather than arriving at a polished resolution. The subject is again a member of the Witsen family, and the repeated study of the same individual produces an intimate visual biography of a person seen many times and from many angles. Studies of this kind were typically kept by the artist rather than exhibited or sold.

The study format allows for a directness and freshness of observation that Witsen's finished works sometimes sacrifice to considered composition. The brushwork in this type of rapid study tends to be more visible and expressive, the artist's observational process less concealed beneath finished surface.