Gezicht op het Spui te Amsterdam c. 1906 - 1923

Curator: Here we have "Gezicht op het Spui te Amsterdam" – a cityscape by George Hendrik Breitner, dating from somewhere between 1906 and 1923. It's a pencil drawing, currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought is that it’s incredibly spare, almost skeletal. The pencil strokes seem quick, searching. There's a real sense of capturing a fleeting moment, a ghost of a place. Curator: Breitner was deeply involved in portraying Amsterdam and its people during a period of rapid urbanization. The Spui, once a canal, had been filled in – a physical representation of the changing city. This sketch is one of many city views, and gives a view to his artistic production, in which series, themes and methods evolved over years, not isolated works. Editor: Absolutely. You can see that in the technique, which almost verges on abstraction. He's not trying to replicate the scene exactly; instead, he’s using lines and form to give a distilled essence. Notice how he suggests volume and depth using only a few, carefully placed strokes. Curator: And it's worth thinking about what he's omitting. We are left to imagine so much—the color, the bustle of people. He captured the spirit of place and time in this pencil drawing, though one should remember that his larger cityscapes were far more critical and dramatic than these calm urban sketches. Editor: It makes the viewer actively participate in constructing the image. It's quite modernist in its reliance on suggestion rather than representation, don't you think? Also, the relative lightness of the work allows a feeling of hope, a way out despite any difficulties. Curator: Yes, and it speaks to his interest in capturing the transient nature of modern life, the fleeting moment. Though Breitner himself became an iconic figure, an establishment presence who critiqued the status quo while profiting from the market, we see also his early interest and embrace of modernist sensibilities of the time, and his complex relationships to various audiences throughout his lifetime. Editor: Looking again, there's also a raw immediacy that resonates. I admire the artist's economy of expression; I find its elegance arresting. Curator: A powerful image and a very complex and thoughtful man whose full range can be glimpsed here in this deceptively simple form.