Paarden Possibly 1881 - 1883

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have George Hendrik Breitner's pencil and graphite drawing on paper, "Paarden," possibly from 1881 to 1883. Editor: My first impression is controlled chaos. Like someone rapidly trying to capture an image they’re afraid they will forget, like trying to wrangle shadows with a pencil. Curator: Breitner was fascinated with capturing fleeting moments. Think about the late 19th century and how rapidly the urban landscape, specifically Amsterdam, was changing. This work shows an almost frantic need to record. He worked often from photographs or in sketchbooks carried with him at all times. You can almost see him rapidly jotting down what he saw, what interested him. Editor: The way the paper looks aged, that yellowing... Pencil as a medium, of course, is immediate, almost a throwaway in our time of hyper-image production. And horses, the labor, transport. What statement might Breitner be trying to make, immortalizing these horses rather than high-society subjects? Curator: Well, consider the social climate in the Netherlands at the time. There’s a great deal of rapid industrial expansion. This drawing could capture something more akin to raw power—or a nostalgic ode to pre-industrial labor? It could also simply reflect the pragmatic necessity of equines within cityscapes. I agree that it challenges this established traditional portraiture while finding beauty in what many considered quotidian drudgery. Editor: Indeed. Pencil elevates the mundane. The choice to render these horses suggests to me an interest in celebrating something often overlooked: the physicality, the laboring bodies that fueled industrial advancement. Curator: Exactly! Breitner turns ordinary subjects into something enduring. A poignant glimpse into a time when horsepower still held literal weight. Editor: Ultimately, Breitner seems to whisper: Remember the source of our energy. That is all I see now.