Stadsgezicht c. 1915 - 1916

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of a cityscape in pencil on paper. It’s so light, so tentative; it barely exists on the page, and yet it's so full of information. I can imagine Breitner, out in the city, quickly capturing the buildings and their surroundings with these simple lines. He’s making decisions on the fly, editing and refining his vision with each stroke. What was he thinking? Was he trying to capture a feeling, an atmosphere, or just the bare bones of the scene? I really love how the texture of the paper shows through, giving it a raw, immediate feel. This sketch reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation across time. We artists are always building on what came before, inspired by the gestures and ideas of others. It’s a beautiful thing, this passing of the torch. It shows that art embraces ambiguity and uncertainty. I love that it allows for so many different ways of interpreting it.