Studieblad, onder andere met een figuur c. 1883 - 1885

Editor: This is George Hendrik Breitner's "Studieblad, onder andere met een figuur," dating from around 1883-1885, a pencil, graphite, and charcoal drawing. It feels so raw and immediate, almost like a fleeting thought captured on paper. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: It’s interesting, isn't it? Like catching a glimpse into Breitner’s mind at work. For me, the beauty lies in its incompleteness, that very 'fleeting thought' quality you picked up on. You see how the figure is suggested rather than fully rendered? It’s like Breitner is asking us to participate in the act of creation. I find it deeply evocative – it reminds me of trying to grasp a half-remembered dream. Editor: It's true. I'm drawn to the energy of the lines themselves – the way they seem to vibrate on the page, suggesting movement. But it almost feels like a puzzle; how much information is Breitner intentionally obscuring, and how much is simply left unresolved? Curator: Precisely! That’s where the intrigue lies. Breitner, working in the Impressionist era, wasn’t necessarily aiming for photographic accuracy. He was after something more visceral – the feeling of being alive in the moment, the essence of form rather than the form itself. I see this page as the silent witness to the artistic exploration – a kind of a prelude to the completion of his paintings. Do you agree that the drawing serves that particular role for his artistic practice? Editor: Absolutely. I didn’t see it that way, but now it strikes me as such an authentic document of his working process. I was so focused on the drawing as an isolated work, rather than part of a much larger whole. Curator: Exactly! Seeing a study like this isn't about figuring everything out, it’s more about enjoying the ride. I learned from you a lot with your acute perception on drawing as its own object of delight.