Gezicht op een straat in Amsterdam met een paard-en-wagen 1912

This sketch of an Amsterdam street scene with a horse and carriage was made by George Hendrik Breitner, likely in one of his notebooks. Look closely, you can see how the rapidly drawn lines capture a fleeting moment. The quick marks of the pencil suggest a sense of immediacy, almost as if Breitner was trying to capture the scene before it disappeared. The buildings and vehicles are rendered with minimal detail, yet the composition conveys a sense of depth and movement. Notice the repetition of horizontal lines used to create the buildings. This suggests the relentless repetition of urban expansion, the feeling of a city being built at pace. This sketch is reminiscent of some of Vincent van Gogh's drawings, particularly in its use of expressive line work and its focus on capturing the everyday life of the city. Both artists were interested in depicting the world around them in a raw and unfiltered way, and their sketches often feel like direct transcriptions of their experiences. Art, like life, is always in motion.