Wolkenlucht Possibly 1881 - 1883

George Hendrik Breitner made this pencil drawing, ‘Wolkenlucht’, likely as a preliminary sketch for a larger work. Breitner was deeply invested in capturing the dynamic atmosphere of the Netherlands. Living in a time of rapid urbanization and industrialization, Breitner situated himself as a chronicler of modern life. His work attempts to grasp the transient nature of experience. Breitner found beauty in the ephemeral and the everyday. What does it mean to find and extract beauty? Breitner, as a privileged white male, was positioned to freely roam the city, capturing images of working-class women. These women, often marginalized and rendered invisible by society, became the subjects of his art. The faint lines and smudges of the pencil on paper mirror the fleeting encounters and transient moments that Breitner sought to capture. Through this sketch, Breitner offers us a glimpse into his process, inviting us to reflect on the relationship between artist, subject, and society.