Gezicht op een gracht in Amsterdam, mogelijk de Reguliersgracht 1895 - 1898

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of a canal in Amsterdam, possibly the Reguliersgracht, using graphite on paper. Breitner was known for capturing the urban life of Amsterdam, particularly the working class. While this sketch lacks the detail of his paintings, it still evokes a sense of the city's everyday environment, but what makes this image especially interesting is the medium and the location; it is a sketch in graphite, not one of his usual paintings, and it is on location. The Rijksmuseum, where this drawing is housed, is itself an institution with a history of shaping artistic taste and national identity. Breitner's work, and its inclusion in the museum's collection, reflects the changing attitudes towards representing modern life and the social landscape of the Netherlands. By consulting archives, period publications, and exhibition histories, we can gain a deeper understanding of the cultural values that influenced Breitner and the institutional forces that shaped his career. In doing so, we reveal how art reflects and shapes our understanding of society.