Figuren voor een gebouw c. 1889 - 1904

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch, "Figuren voor een gebouw," likely in the late 19th or early 20th century, using pencil on paper. This work is intriguing not just for what it depicts, but for what it suggests about the artistic process and its relationship to the rapidly changing urban environment of the Netherlands at that time. Breitner was known for capturing the dynamic street life of Amsterdam, and here we see the bare bones of what could become a bustling scene. The figures, roughly sketched, hint at the human activity surrounding a building, possibly under construction. The sketch format itself speaks to the artist's engagement with modernity: a quick, on-the-spot impression, rather than a carefully composed studio piece. To truly understand this sketch, we might delve into archives of Breitner’s work, period photographs of Amsterdam, and studies of urban development during this era. We can appreciate how Breitner, and other artists of his time, captured the essence of a society in flux, where the old was constantly being reshaped by the new.