Figuren, mogelijk op een bouwplaats c. 1898 - 1914

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, titled "Figures, Possibly on a Construction Site," with a pencil on paper, and it now lives at the Rijksmuseum. Look at these lines, would you say that Breitner was interested in depicting form or space? For me it’s all about motion. Notice the stark contrast between the quick, erratic marks and the static, architectural elements they evoke. It's like watching someone think, a stream-of-consciousness captured in graphite. The texture of the paper peeks through, giving the sketch an unfinished quality, like a fleeting impression. Breitner seems to be saying that, in-between the built spaces, there are living, breathing figures. It’s almost a flip on Impressionism, except the everyday isn’t so pretty. Think of Daumier, with his gritty realism, but with a modern, fragmented sensibility. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art isn't just about what you see, but how you see it.