Landschap met water en bebouwing c. 1903

This landscape with water and buildings was made as a pencil sketch by George Hendrik Breitner at an undetermined time. I see these frantic, scribbled lines and I think to myself, ah yes, this is how a drawing is made - searching and restless. There's a looseness and an open-endedness here, like a feeling rather than a clear picture. I imagine Breitner standing somewhere, maybe a bit cold, quickly trying to capture the essence of the place with just a few strokes. These marks are the residue of the artist’s experience. The quick decisions, the second guesses, the little erasures, are all part of the story. The softness of the pencil suggests a quietness, a certain intimacy. It’s like the artist is whispering to the paper. You can see how this sketch might relate to his wider practice; in his paintings, he often explored similar themes of urban life and landscapes, but with a different kind of intensity. We all learn from each other, remixing ideas across time. I feel inspired by this piece, like it’s giving me permission to be messy, to be uncertain, and to embrace the process of discovery.