Annotaties c. 1915 - 1916

George Hendrik Breitner made these Annotaties with ink on paper; it's like catching a glimpse into the artist's mind at work. The whole thing has a kind of intimate feel. The writing, in faded purplish ink, sprawls across the page, a mix of legible notes and scribbled thoughts, almost like a map of a restless mind. It's on a very thin and aged paper. There are smudges and stains that tell the story of being carried around, handled, and used as a real working tool. The tears at the top? Total character! Thinking about this in relation to someone like Cy Twombly, with his loose, gestural handwriting, it’s interesting how both artists used writing as a way to capture fleeting ideas and impressions. It's this sense of immediacy, of capturing a thought in mid-flight, that makes this piece so compelling. It reminds us that art is not just about the final product, but about the process of thinking, feeling, and seeing the world.