Annotaties c. 1892 - 1923

Curator: Here we have “Annotaties,” a drawing made with ink on paper, dating circa 1892-1923, by George Hendrik Breitner. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. What’s your first take on it? Editor: Immediately, it reads as a very private object. A piece of paper filled with handwritten notes, close and dense, that hint at something hidden. Is it a list? Is it a draft? I wonder about the physical act of Breitner holding the paper, the kind of ink he favored, the nib he used to create such compressed text. Curator: It definitely holds an intimate feeling, doesn’t it? I sense an inventory, or perhaps a brainstorming session. It is, in essence, a textual capture of visual memories and possible future themes; Breitner, a documentarian of sorts. See how each word choice carries the weight of observation. I get the sense he saw writing as part of his process of looking at the world. Editor: The material fragility also adds another layer. This small piece of paper, probably stored and moved numerous times, shows us how the act of artistic making is physically supported by quotidian materials like ink, pen and paper. What do those annotations reveal about the way his observation was transformed through a practical process into finished artworks? Curator: I agree, it's the intermediate stage. The keywords themselves summon up deeper cultural stories. The fleeting and ever-changing vistas he immortalized in his paintings were first anchored by the meaning he scribbled here. I wonder what meaning “Stormketel. Hual. Houtskool." or "Dame met Kind." had for Breitner, since symbols often embed memory or the subconscious into an aesthetic. Editor: And, thinking about this sketch within his full body of work really reveals to us what underpinned Breitner's method of engaging the urban landscape, an engagement not solely defined by elevated "artistic vision" but by sheer practical action. Curator: It's amazing to see those practical origins and how they give way to personal imagery and emotional impact. Editor: Yes, a glimpse behind the art.