Twee vrouwen of meisjes, op de rug gezien 1895 - 1898

Editor: This quick pencil sketch, “Two Women or Girls, Seen from the Back,” comes to us from George Hendrik Breitner, likely from sometime between 1895 and 1898. It has such an ephemeral quality, like a fleeting moment captured on paper. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The Rückenfigur, the figure seen from behind, carries a heavy symbolic weight in art. Consider how often we encounter this pose in Romantic painting – figures contemplating the vastness of nature, alone, burdened. Do these women strike you as similarly burdened, or something different? Editor: Different, definitely. There's a sense of intimacy here that the grand landscapes lack. I feel like I'm intruding on a private moment, almost. Curator: Precisely. This feels less about individual solitude and more about a shared experience, doesn’t it? The very act of turning away, presenting their backs, becomes a powerful symbol. What might that signify for you, today? What did it mean when modern art was in its infancy? Editor: Perhaps a turning away from the established order, toward a new way of seeing? A focus on the everyday, the informal? Curator: An astute observation! The informal is key. Breitner isn't concerned with idealizing these figures. Instead, he is documenting a specific moment, an observation from life. This, itself, signals a shift in the visual language. Think of what else it could symbolize – the women facing a challenge, the future, or simply, one another. It's powerful how a simple turn of the body communicates so much. Editor: I never considered the Rückenfigur outside of a landscape setting. This really gives me a fresh perspective on symbolism. Curator: Indeed, it invites us to contemplate the evolution of visual codes. By shifting the context, Breitner challenges our assumptions and reveals new layers of meaning.