Drie figuurstudies 1886 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this study, probably in a sketchbook, using graphite or charcoal. I see a flurry of marks, tentative lines, and smudges all clustered together. You know, the interesting thing is, the mess itself becomes the subject, right? I’m thinking about how the artist must have been working when they made it. I’m wondering if he was trying to capture a fleeting moment, a quick impression of figures in a landscape. There is this blotch up at the top, it almost looks like a bird mid-flight. Or an ink splatter? For me, painting is about embracing the unexpected. I think the dialogue between control and chance makes this sketch so compelling. It reminds me of other sketchbooks I have seen by artists like Degas, where the unfinished quality reveals the artist’s thought process, their doubts, and discoveries. It's like we're looking over his shoulder as he figures things out.