Gezicht op boten aan het Damrak te Amsterdam c. 1906 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketchbook drawing of boats on the Damrak in Amsterdam with graphite on paper, a pretty direct medium. Look how Breitner allows us to see his process – those quick, searching lines capturing the essence of the boats and buildings. The paper itself is part of the experience; you can almost feel its texture, the way the graphite might catch on the tooth of it. I love that the composition is spread across the binding, like a view that spills beyond its frame. There’s this wonderful sense of immediacy, like he’s right there, rapidly translating the scene before him. It reminds me a little of Van Gogh's drawings – not in style, but in that shared urgency to capture the world. Art’s a conversation, right? A back-and-forth across time, where one person's sketch can spark something in another. This drawing feels like the start of something, a question posed rather than an answer given.