Schetsboek met 33 bladen c. 1890 - 1900

This sketchbook with 33 pages was made by George Hendrik Breitner sometime between 1880 and 1923. Sketchbooks like this one offer insight into the artistic process. They show the artist's initial ideas, experiments, and studies that led to finished works. Breitner was a key figure in the Amsterdam Impressionism movement. Breitner aimed to capture the gritty realities of urban life, the institutions, social classes and cultural activities that shaped the city. His paintings often depicted working-class neighborhoods, bustling streets, and the daily lives of ordinary people. What can a historian learn from a sketchbook? Looking at the inscriptions can help us understand the world around the artist. These can provide clues about the artist’s influences, travels, or commissions. The sketches themselves can reveal how artists engaged with the social and cultural issues of their time. By studying sketchbooks alongside other archival material, we can gain a deeper understanding of the artist's role within their society.