Curator: This is George Hendrik Breitner's "Girl in a Kimono, reclining", created between 1893 and 1894. It is currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: My immediate response is to the sketch-like quality, intimate in its portrayal. It feels spontaneous, yet intentional in its use of line. The hatching and varied weight give form to an otherwise simplistic composition, particularly noticeable in the garment's details. Curator: Indeed. The work showcases the artist’s approach to impressionism via figuration; notice the application of swift, gestural marks using a pencil. Its sketch-like manner offers valuable insight into Breitner’s observational skill as seen in personal sketchbooks. Editor: And the materiality cannot be overlooked; pencil on toned and aged paper creates a texture and tonality, grounding the aesthetic in tangible physical elements and context, moving us to examine Breitner's drawing praxis more closely. It almost looks as though Breitner were making direct use of the sketchbook as the 'support,' giving additional meaning. Curator: Quite so. Consider too how this drawing, perhaps a study for a larger composition, exists autonomously within the realm of sketches from this era. One might engage the language present here to draw links between portraiture and modern ideals. Editor: Yes, viewing this "sketchwork" through materiality reveals Breitner's hand— his quick notations and attention to material fact establish artistic creation, thereby encouraging additional interpretations to enter, pushing away ideas of high art. It begs the question—how was such artwork received by his audience at this period? Curator: Interesting reflection, highlighting tension around craft! We’ve observed here that this drawing, by focusing on composition, gives rise to questions about artistic convention within portrait sketches, and also demonstrates materiality with regards to paper quality. Editor: Precisely; I leave pondering on how art can provide a space for questioning the conventions it claims!
Comments
From sketch to photograph, and ultimately a painting, the genesis of the series of girls in kimonos can be clearly followed on the basis of Breitner’s study material. Looking closely you can see similarities, as well as the many adjustments Breitner made in the process of painting. He wrote: ‘I do indeed use photographs. I scribble in my sketchbook, but the choice, the composition is mine.’
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