Boom c. 1902 - 1914

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, Boom, with graphite on paper, and the date is unknown. It’s just a branch, right? But consider that Breitner must have been looking at this branch really closely. He probably spent a lot of time watching where it sat in space, how it attached to the tree, and where it was going. It's not just about representation; it's about seeing. The marks are thick in some places, thin in others. It makes me think of Brice Marden’s early drawings of twigs and branches. I imagine Breitner wanting to show us how he perceived the essence of this ordinary thing. How the branch stretched and reached toward the light. What a generous gift to share his way of seeing. It’s all connected, you know?