Stadsgezicht, mogelijk in Pittsburgh c. 1909

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, Stadsgezicht, mogelijk in Pittsburgh, likely with ink on paper. It is a sketch that feels immediate and direct. I like the way the marks are laid down so frankly, without fussing around too much, as if he's trying to capture a fleeting impression. The texture of the paper is visible, which is part of the charm. The density of the lines varies, creating different tonal areas that suggest depth and volume. See the horizontal lines at the top? It’s as if the whole composition is suspended. And then, toward the bottom, a delicate, almost dangling line anchors the whole thing, while still feeling tentative. It’s funny, it makes me think of Cy Twombly, another artist who embraced the sketch-like, the incomplete. Neither artist seems too concerned with traditional notions of finish or polish. They both remind us that artmaking is a process of exploration, not just about arriving at a fixed destination.