Figuurstudies c. 1886 - 1903

George Hendrik Breitner made these ‘Figure Studies’ as a sketch, now held at the Rijksmuseum. Breitner worked in the Netherlands during a time of rapid social change, with industrialization and urbanization reshaping the country. Breitner’s sketch is notable for its informal style. The lack of finish suggests he may have been interested in capturing the fleeting nature of modern life, as if glimpsed in a crowd. This approach reflected the broader cultural shifts towards realism and naturalism in the late 19th century. Breitner trained at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, reflecting the institutional structures that governed artistic production. However, his interest in everyday life and the working class set him apart from more academic painters. To fully understand an image such as this, art historians will look to the artist's biography, reviews of his work, and the social history of the Netherlands at the time, tracing the web of connections that shaped his artistic vision.