Gezicht op een hofje in de Eekhoutstraat te Brugge met de toren van de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk Possibly 1907 - 1911

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of a courtyard in Brugge with graphite. It’s like two attempts to capture the same scene, side by side, where one is a ghostly echo of the other. The contrast makes me think about how we see, and how much our perception changes from one moment to the next. The graphite marks are so direct, so immediate. You can see the pressure of his hand, the speed of the line. On the right, the tower of the church is rendered with confident strokes, while on the left, it’s like a memory fading away. Look at how the lines create depth, leading your eye down the street, toward the church. It's like a stage set, or a dreamscape. This reminds me of Whistler, another artist who was interested in capturing fleeting moments and atmospheric effects. Ultimately, both artists remind us that art is not about perfect representation, but about feeling and experience.