Paard en wagen c. 1900 - 1923

This is George Hendrik Breitner's drawing, "Paard en wagen", likely made with graphite or charcoal on paper. It's all about speed, right? I can imagine Breitner quickly capturing the fleeting image of a horse and carriage. There's something so immediate about the marks, scratchy and direct. I wonder what he was thinking? Maybe he was thinking about Degas, who also drew horses, or maybe he was just interested in the challenge of capturing movement on a page. The marks kind of dance on the surface, like they’re about to disappear. I suppose this is what it means to try and arrest time with a pencil – a kind of failure, but also a success. It’s like he's saying, "Here's a moment, grab it if you can." It reminds me that art isn't just about pretty pictures, it's about how we see and feel. And maybe it's about the way artists see and feel too.