Schetsblad met studies van een tuinman 1867 - 1923

This is a pencil drawing titled "Schetsblad met studies van een tuinman," or "Sheet with studies of a gardener," by George Hendrik Breitner, at the Rijksmuseum. It consists of three studies of the same figure in different poses. The drawing is an intriguing interplay of form and function; Breitner’s composition uses the structure of the page to explore the visual possibilities of line and form. The gardener with his hat and tools, becomes a study in the use of the pencil line—the quick strokes capture both the likeness and the essence of labor. The contrast in the poses, from active to repose, shows us a working man caught in his daily life. Breitner seems less interested in the individual and more focused on the shapes and structures that the figure presents. This approach elevates the ordinary, turning the sketch into a reflection of the modern worker. It is in this intersection of form, representation, and social observation that Breitner’s work finds its significance.