Man, mogelijk in een werkplaats c. 1882 - 1912

This is a sketch, in graphite on paper, by George Hendrik Breitner, and currently held in the Rijksmuseum. The drawing’s surface is alive with hurried, energetic strokes that capture a scene, perhaps within a workshop. There are figures and objects suggested through a network of lines and shaded areas. Breitner's use of line is particularly striking. It’s not about contour but about a dynamic interplay of marks that suggest form and space. The composition is open, with elements bleeding into one another, creating a sense of immediacy and transience. The limited tonal range focuses our attention on the relationships between the marks themselves and the spaces they create. This work destabilizes traditional notions of representation. The sketch is less about depicting a scene accurately and more about capturing the fleeting energy and essence of a moment. This approach aligns with the broader artistic shift of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where the process and the artist’s subjective experience became central to the work. The sketch functions as a record of perception and a meditation on the act of seeing and representing.