Vrouw in een steeg 1887 - 1891

Editor: This is "Vrouw in een steeg," or "Woman in an Alley," a pencil drawing by George Hendrik Breitner, likely made between 1887 and 1891. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The sketchiness and tonal range of the pencil against the paper creates an almost dreamlike impression. How do you interpret the composition and the techniques Breitner used here? Curator: Well, observe how the artist uses line to delineate form and space. The varying weights of the pencil strokes create depth, pushing back into the recess of the alley, whilst the subject is captured in simplified form with almost geometrical precision. Editor: Geometrical precision? That’s interesting. To me, the sketch appears more organic and gestural. Curator: Note the structural framework of the composition, the way the vertical lines define the buildings, the posture of the figure... The linear framework seems intended to create a structure that contains all the elements depicted in a rigorous geometrical way. Do you not find this interesting? Editor: I see what you mean. It does add a certain…stiffness…despite the apparent spontaneity. Are the darker shades serving to contrast this? Curator: Precisely. This textural counterpoint serves to activate the surface and to energize the structure in terms of contrast. Now, let’s look more carefully at how this generates interest by creating visual planes. How does that shift your perception of his strategy? Editor: Seeing that play between structure and texture, I think it brings some much needed life into the piece. Breitner's really directing the viewer’s eye here. Thank you for clarifying that. Curator: A keen eye notices these relationships, where the geometrical and the spontaneous support the entire vision of the artist.