Heiwerk op de Overtoom te Amsterdam c. 1912

George Hendrik Breitner made this little sketch of a construction site on the Overtoom in Amsterdam with graphite on paper. Look at these lines! They feel so free and immediate. I can imagine Breitner standing there, maybe a bit cold, quickly capturing the scene before him. It's like he's trying to bottle the energy of the place, the rough textures of the construction materials, the way the light hits those haphazardly placed planks of wood. And that figure standing off to the side, lost in thought, or maybe just directing the work, with a splash of blue. It reminds me of some of Philip Guston's later work, that same sense of immediacy, of wanting to get something down on paper before it disappears. It’s a beautiful reminder that art isn't always about perfection. Sometimes, it's about capturing a moment, an emotion, a feeling, and sharing it with the world.