Gezicht in Amsterdam met een aanlegplaats c. 1914s

George Hendrik Breitner made this pencil drawing, a View in Amsterdam with a Landing Stage, sometime in his life. It’s like looking into the artist’s mind as he’s figuring things out. You know, that dance of the hand trying to catch up with what the eye sees. The scribbled lines give you the feeling of being right there, watching Amsterdam come together right before your eyes. The texture of the paper adds a tactile quality to the sketch, making it feel immediate and real. Notice how the lines are not precious or overworked, it’s like a visual shorthand. It captures the essence of a place with a few deft strokes. I think of artists like Cy Twombly, who embraced the sketch-like quality of mark making. There is something so alive in the unfinished, the provisional, the stuff that breathes.