Studie, mogelijk een landschap of stadsgezicht c. 1886 - 1923

Editor: So, we're looking at George Hendrik Breitner's "Studie, mogelijk een landschap of stadsgezicht," which translates to "Study, possibly a landscape or cityscape," dating roughly between 1886 and 1923. It’s a graphite drawing. It feels almost…fleeting, like a memory glimpsed through fog. What captures your eye most in this seemingly simple sketch? Curator: Fleeting is perfect. It's like Breitner captured a sigh of the city or countryside. To me, it's not just what he drew, but *how* he drew it. See the suggestive lines? How they create a feeling, an impression, rather than a detailed reality? I can almost feel the damp air and hear the distant city sounds…Or is that just my overactive imagination running wild again? What about you – does it feel urban or rural to you? Editor: I lean towards urban – perhaps rooftops and a smoky sky? There’s a grittiness even in the simplicity. I'm also drawn to the artist's notes on the page—scrawled and immediate, "in light" "with brown" … They give insight to the quick observations Breitner made, the foundation to the more fully fleshed, evocative paintings to come. Do you find the writing contributes meaningfully, or would the drawing be strong without them? Curator: Ah, good question! It’s tempting to see the notes as extraneous, but for me, they unlock a secret, private moment between Breitner and his subject. "In light"... He's chasing a feeling, isn't he? And you’re so right, these are absolutely clues and underpinnings! Without them, we’d admire a sketch. With them, we’re almost time travelers, witnessing his artistic process, breathing the same air. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, as time travel, but that's beautiful! I guess I initially saw it as incomplete, but now I see that that perceived incompleteness is actually a peek behind the scenes. Curator: Precisely! And that’s the magic of a seemingly simple sketch.