Gezicht op de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam 1888

George Hendrik Breitner made this pencil drawing, “View of the New Church in Amsterdam,” probably at the end of the 19th century. It’s a sketch, so it’s direct and raw, and it gives us a glimpse into Breitner's artistic process. Breitner was interested in capturing the energy of the modern city, and as such, he was closely associated with the art movement known as the Amsterdam Impressionism, where artists sought to depict the everyday life around them, and the unique atmosphere of the Dutch capital. Amsterdam was a booming city at this time, and Breitner's art is known for capturing its gritty reality. If you’d like to learn more, you can check out historical societies or online databases of Dutch art from this period. You can start to understand how art is really embedded in a specific time and place.