Annotaties c. 1892 - 1923

Curator: Right now we’re looking at ‘Annotaties’ a drawing by George Hendrik Breitner dating from around 1892 to 1923. It’s made using pencil and ink on paper. You can see it here at the Rijksmuseum. What's your initial impression? Editor: Stark. Austere. It feels like stumbling upon someone’s very private musings – almost intrusive, like reading a page from a forgotten diary. It's beautiful in its simplicity, like a Zen garden made of words. Curator: That sense of intimacy is key. These types of sketches can tell us a lot. What do you notice about the notations themselves? Editor: The faintness suggests that these notations were fleeting ideas, almost whispered onto the page. There are measurements, possible prices... the handwriting, too, suggests a certain immediacy. The page is filled with what feels like a secret language, little clues towards some creation or transaction. Curator: Precisely. It gives us a peek into the mind of the artist, doesn’t it? Consider Breitner, the master of capturing fleeting moments of city life, using photography as reference for painting, but these are perhaps a window into something even more intimate than a photo. Editor: And the geometric aspects – the lines, the numerical annotations... there’s a sense of order fighting against chaos, don’t you think? It’s like he’s trying to categorize and contain something that is by its very nature unfixed. As if this all happened really fast and furious. Curator: It’s intriguing to ponder. The paper itself also becomes a symbol: aged and toned, showing the passage of time and the fragility of memory, but also the persistence of an idea. These aren’t grand pronouncements, are they? These annotations serve a different purpose. Editor: It really feels like glimpsing someone's soul. A fragment. That makes it powerful, in my opinion. I am moved to imagine the man creating it! It could inspire a million tales! Curator: Indeed. It’s a testament to the power of the everyday, to the beauty in the ephemeral and that a simple page of sketches, annotations can still captivate after all this time. Editor: I'll certainly remember this intimate and humble page! Thank you!