Landschap met soldaten en paarden 1887 - 1891

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch, Landschap met soldaten en paarden, out of graphite on paper. Graphite, essentially pencil lead, allows for a range of expression through mark-making. What is significant here is the quickness of line; the artist seems to have been interested in rapidly capturing the essence of a scene, likely en plein air, or ‘in the open air’. The figures, landscape and horses, are created through light applications of shading, and varying line weights. The artist made the most of a readily available and portable material to record a fleeting scene. Breitner used it here to quickly sketch the landscape and capture a sense of movement. The image serves as a window into the working process of the artist, and the role of drawing, as a means of observation, and documentation of an era, or moment. The use of humble materials and sketching techniques underscore the importance of immediacy and the ability to capture fleeting moments.