Twee hoofden, mogelijk van meisjes c. 1883 - 1885

George Hendrik Breitner sketched these two heads, possibly of girls, with a quick charcoal in hand. The very directness of the observation, the way the lines seem to capture a fleeting moment, reminds us of those ancient Roman portrait busts, which also sought to capture not just likeness but presence. The gaze, even in a sketch so sparse, holds power. Consider how the eyes, the windows to the soul, have been emphasized across millennia. From the wide-eyed Madonnas of the Renaissance, conveying a sense of divine innocence, to the piercing gazes of modern portraits that capture psychological depth. The subconscious effect is immediate: we are drawn in, compelled to meet their gaze. This elemental need to connect, to recognize ourselves in another's face, is a legacy passed down through generations of image-making. This drawing isn't merely an exercise in representation; it is a continuation of our enduring, cyclical quest to understand ourselves through the eyes of others.