Paard-en-wagen c. 1909

Curator: Looking at this sketchy drawing by George Hendrik Breitner, entitled "Paard-en-wagen", or "Horse and Cart", from around 1909 and held here at the Rijksmuseum, what springs to mind for you? Editor: Hmm, instant impression? Chaotic poetry. It’s like a flurry of pencil marks almost accidentally revealing a street scene. Kind of frenetic, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Absolutely. Breitner's sketches often served as preliminary studies, a way of quickly capturing urban life. In fin-de-siècle Amsterdam, the horse and cart were still ubiquitous, forming a key part of the working-class experience and logistics. Editor: It makes me wonder what he was feeling in that moment. Did he want to capture the feeling of bustling movement or was it a specific cart he found visually compelling? Curator: Given his wider oeuvre, likely a bit of both. Breitner was interested in capturing the energy of modern urban life, particularly of the working classes, and imbuing his art with realism. These scenes of labour were important depictions of Amsterdam at the time. The framing, for instance, chopping off the top of the buildings, creates a real sense of immediacy. Editor: I’m charmed by its unfinished quality. There is something vulnerable and unpretentious about exposing this idea-generation process. It also draws my eye across the paper with fresh perspective at every view. Like a dance across the canvas. Curator: It prompts questions about how we perceive these fleeting, often marginalized aspects of city life. Are these just utilitarian objects and locations or can we consider their own social meaning? Breitner invites that question, placing the horse and cart firmly at the centre of his composition. Editor: And it invites us, more than a finished painting might, to imagine being in his mind, to feel the city, if only for a fleeting, chaotic moment. Curator: Exactly. These rapid sketches really do give an accessible snapshot into his creative practice. Editor: Which maybe helps us all find some beauty in the daily chaos around us.