Gezicht op het Singel in Amsterdam ter hoogte van de Appelmarkt 1895 - 1898

George Hendrik Breitner created this sketch of the Singel in Amsterdam at the level of the Appelmarkt, using graphite on notebook paper. Breitner lived during a time of rapid urbanization and industrialization in the Netherlands, developments which dramatically changed the social fabric of cities like Amsterdam. In this period, artists like Breitner were turning away from traditional landscape painting and focusing on the gritty realities of urban life, especially the lives of the working class. The loose, almost frenetic lines reflect the fast pace of modern life, but also evoke a sense of alienation and anonymity. Are those figures strolling or hurrying? Are they women or men? It is hard to tell. Breitner once said he wanted to capture the ‘the look of our streets’ and in this sketch he captures a fleeting moment in the daily life of Amsterdam, where people are dwarfed by the buildings. The sketch invites us to consider the human experience within the industrialized city.