Twee staande vrouwen en een man c. 1882 - 1912

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of two standing women and a man using graphite on paper. The paper, an everyday material, provides a subtle ground for the graphite lines, each varying in pressure and weight, capturing the immediacy of a fleeting moment. The visible, raw strokes and cross-hatching give a sense of the artist's hand at work. The thin application of the medium emphasizes the quick, unstudied quality of the drawing. Breitner's choice of modest materials moves away from traditional fine art approaches to making. In this work, the artist elevates the mundane to a subject worthy of artistic exploration, and the use of accessible materials underscores this democratic impulse. Understanding the significance of these choices in materials and process allows us to appreciate the artist’s vision, and also challenges conventional notions of art, craft, and their place within a broader social context.