Ruiter 1907

This quick sketch by George Hendrik Breitner is on paper. It’s raw, it’s immediate, it's everything. I can imagine Breitner whipping this out in a cafe or on the street, trying to grab the fleeting image of a horse and rider. Look at these ghostly lines suggesting a figure on horseback – how the artist has tried to capture movement and form with the bare minimum of marks. It reminds me of the great tradition of artists sketching in notebooks – think Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec – a way of constantly observing and recording the world around you, of training your eye and hand to work together. This drawing feels so intimate. I feel like I'm glimpsing a moment of pure seeing, a spark of inspiration. It’s like Breitner is saying, hey, look at this, isn't it amazing?