Annotaties 1883 - 1885

Curator: I am struck by the raw intimacy of this page. It appears so unassuming at first glance, yet the closer you look, the more fascinating details you uncover about its making. Editor: Agreed. The chaotic energy suggests immediacy, like a fleeting thought quickly committed to paper. Is this Breitner? Curator: Yes, this is 'Annotaties' by George Hendrik Breitner, dating from 1883 to 1885. It’s a pencil drawing on paper, housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Given the material and impressionistic approach, would this have been something he intended as a finished piece or as studies? It feels very much rooted in process. Curator: That’s a crucial question! I would argue the drawing itself becomes the art, a window into Breitner's methodology. Think about the relative accessibility of paper versus a canvas. Perhaps here Breitner felt like there were less conventional boundaries of a finished piece to contend with. We can see multiple layers and different intentions behind each inscription, which tells its own narrative as you look through the sketch. The artist clearly experimented with capturing these elements in a way that served his process. Editor: That rings true. It reads like a personal inventory, an artist using his sketchbook not just for visual sketches, but textual annotation to build out references from exhibitions or locations in St Petersburg. In a broader sense, sketchbooks become extensions of the artist's agency, allowing experimentation outside of the traditional patronage model, shaping their careers on their own terms. Curator: Precisely, and it invites us to consider what we value in art. Are we looking for refined surfaces or a deeper understanding of an artist's hand in production? Editor: In the end, I'm left with this sense that art making should be perceived as accessible to all. By appreciating works such as Annotaties, we come to the realization that the means of production are often as intriguing as any outcome.