Gezicht op een straat in Amsterdam, mogelijk de Nieuwendijk 1893 - 1898

George Hendrik Breitner sketched ‘View of a Street in Amsterdam, Possibly the Nieuwendijk’ using graphite on paper. As an artist working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Breitner was deeply influenced by the rapid urbanization and industrialization transforming Amsterdam. Breitner, known for his depictions of working-class life, captures the raw, unvarnished reality of the city. He once said, "I see beauty in the streets," and this sketch embodies that sentiment. The quick, gestural lines convey the energy and dynamism of the Nieuwendijk, a bustling street in Amsterdam’s city center. The sketch offers an intimate glimpse into the artist’s process, revealing the immediacy of his observations. The choice of such an everyday scene elevates the ordinary, suggesting that beauty and meaning can be found in the most commonplace aspects of urban life.