Bouwmaterialen en kruiwagens op Prinseneiland te Amsterdam 1907

This sketch of building materials and wheelbarrows in Amsterdam was made by George Hendrik Breitner, at an unknown date. Looking at this, I imagine Breitner with his sketchbook, quickly capturing the scene, deciding what to include and what to leave out. See how he’s used these energetic strokes to suggest the forms of the wheelbarrows and building materials? Each line feels so direct, a perfect balance between detail and abstraction. I wonder what caught his eye. Perhaps he was thinking of other artists like Van Gogh or Mondrian, each grappling with how to represent the world in their own unique way. I think artists are always in conversation with each other, echoing, responding, and challenging ideas across time. Painting is an open field, full of possibilities and uncertainty, inviting us to see and feel in new ways.