Gezadelde paarden en een man c. 1889 - 1904

This sketch of horses and a man was created by George Hendrik Breitner using graphite on paper. Look closely, and you can see the way the artist built up the image with a flurry of marks. The medium of graphite offers a directness, a sense of immediacy and the speed of the hand, capturing a fleeting moment. Paper, as a relatively inexpensive material, allows artists to experiment freely. In this sketch, Breitner seems to be working out the composition, exploring the relationships between the figures. This drawing provides a glimpse into Breitner’s working process, and the ways in which everyday materials can be used to create powerful and evocative images. It reminds us that the value of a work of art is not solely determined by the preciousness of its materials, but by the artist's skill and vision.