Aangemeerde boten 1881 - 1883

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of moored boats with graphite on paper. The softness of the graphite allows for a range of tonal effects, from the faintest suggestion of a horizon line, to darker hatching that indicates the mass of the boats. The visible strokes, smudges, and erasures reveal the artist's process, and the texture of the paper adds to the sense of immediacy. This isn't about slickness; the interest is in the labour of mark-making. Consider the directness of the lines, and their arrangement on the page. It's tempting to see this as a preliminary study for a painting, but it also stands alone, bearing witness to the working harbor and the artist’s experience of it. Breitner wasn’t so concerned with capturing the flawless likeness of the boats, so much as evoking the energy and the atmosphere of the working harbor. He brings into the realm of fine art, a scene of the everyday.