Studie c. 1886 - 1890

Curator: This little drawing really buzzes with a certain… nervousness, I think. All those frantic pencil lines! Editor: Absolutely, and they’re deliberately stark. This is George Hendrik Breitner's "Studie," created sometime between 1886 and 1890. It’s just graphite on paper, housed here at the Rijksmuseum, but it suggests a radical shift toward abstraction for the time. Curator: I love "little drawings" that punch above their weight. It reminds me of those flurries of sketches artists sometimes make, trying to catch a thought before it evaporates. What do you make of it from a socio-historical viewpoint? Editor: Well, Breitner was known for capturing the energy of Amsterdam's streets and working classes. Drawings like this, although abstract, might be attempts to grasp the lived experiences of people during a time of great social and economic change. The swiftness of the lines suggests a fleeting, almost furtive quality—echoing, perhaps, the precariousness of modern life. Curator: Interesting point! To me, they suggest a painter searching for a new vocabulary, willing to deconstruct images, almost to un-learn the established styles… a liberation of seeing. What about line? What does the quality of the line express here, would you say? Editor: The use of line, I think, reflects a kind of urgent realism that transcends mere representation. Breitner isn’t simply sketching what he sees, but also capturing the invisible forces acting on it. This reminds me of the situationist theory of the dérive, wandering aimlessly, yet always aware of underlying systems. Curator: That sense of "forces," invisible yet keenly felt... almost like capturing a haunting… You see it as intentionally conveying societal systems. For me it expresses almost the feeling of unorganized feelings of one’s person being fragmented and brought together. It resonates on a purely human, psychological level too. What a thought! That Breitner unconsciously captured those urban tensions through something as elemental as the scribbled line. Editor: And it is through these elemental lines that, to this day, "Studie" stimulates dialogues on social existence, modernity, and subjective perception. A small study that opens up huge themes. Curator: A perfect meeting of artist’s hand and urban tremor. Just wonderful to see it at Rijksmuseum.