Gezicht op een straat bij maanlicht Possibly 1907 - 1911

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of a street scene by moonlight with pencil on paper. I think of drawing as this direct connection to thought, a really unmediated process. In this sketch, the quick, repetitive marks create a palpable sense of atmosphere. Look at the roof on the left. See how it's all hatched together, not really describing a solid object so much as capturing the light skimming its surface? It's all about immediacy and feeling. The whole thing has this ghostly, provisional quality, like a half-remembered dream. Breitner reminds me a bit of Edgar Degas, both were interested in capturing fleeting moments of modern life, but Breitner’s rawer, more gestural approach gives his work a particularly contemporary feel. Art is all about conversations, you know? It's an invitation to keep looking, thinking, and feeling.