Spelende kinderen in de Nieuwe Teertuinen te Amsterdam c. 1900 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of children playing, in the Nieuwe Teertuinen in Amsterdam. Look at how Breitner uses a simple charcoal line to capture a fleeting moment, a dance of energy and form, right? It's like he's not just drawing what he sees, but also the feeling of the scene. The beauty of this piece lies in its raw simplicity. The smudges and scribbles aren't mistakes, they're part of the story. See the way he suggests movement with just a few strokes? It’s all about gesture, about capturing the essence of play. Notice the marks at the bottom left of the page, rapid lines that become the texture of a textile. There's an intimacy here, a sense of being in the artist's studio as he worked. Breitner, like Degas, was interested in capturing the everyday. This drawing is like a visual diary entry, a moment of life, quickly sketched and preserved. It reminds us that art isn't always about perfection; it's about process, about seeing and feeling.