Studieblad met arbeiders en een vrouwenhoofd 1880 - 1923

This graphite drawing by George Hendrik Breitner features laborers and a woman’s head. I wonder what Breitner was thinking, capturing these figures with such quick, gestural marks? The lines are sparse, almost tentative, but they manage to convey weight and movement. Look at how the heads are tilted and how the bodies are bending – you can almost feel the effort and the weight they are carrying. The economy of line reminds me of some of Matisse’s drawings. What strikes me is how much information an artist can get across with so little. It makes you think about how a few strokes can convey a whole world of feeling. Painters are always in conversation with each other, across time and space, and this drawing makes me want to pick up my own pencil and respond.