Gezicht in Amsterdam c. 1902 - 1914

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of a view in Amsterdam at an unknown date using graphite on paper. It has a sketchy, raw energy that I really dig. Check out the cross-hatching – it’s almost frantic, especially on the left page. It reminds me that artmaking is a process of searching, not just finding. The varying pressure of the graphite, from light whispers to dark smudges, gives a real sense of depth and atmosphere. You can almost feel the dampness in the air. The lines feel like they're searching for something. And those strong diagonals on the right page? They create such a dynamic tension, pulling your eye this way and that. It's like Breitner is saying, “Here’s Amsterdam, but it’s fleeting, always in motion.” Think of Whistler, another painter who embraced the ephemeral, the poetry of the everyday. This piece feels like a reminder that art is more about the questions than the answers, more about the journey than the destination.