Gezicht op de Nieuwendijk te Amsterdam, gezien vanaf de Dam 1893 - 1898

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of the Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam in graphite on paper. It depicts a view of a busy shopping street from the vantage point of the Dam Square. Breitner was a contemporary of Vincent van Gogh, and like Van Gogh, he was interested in depicting the lives of ordinary people. In the Netherlands in the late 19th century, there was growing social awareness of class difference as well as the effects of industrialization. In this context, art could serve as a form of social commentary. Breitner was associated with the Amsterdam Impressionism movement, which focused on representing everyday life in the city. The loose and gestural style of this sketch reflects the artist's interest in capturing a fleeting moment in time. A historian might consult city archives and newspapers from that period to better understand the cultural context. The meaning of art, as we can see, depends so much on the social and institutional conditions in which it is made.