Landschap, mogelijk een duinlandschap 1886 - 1923

This graphite drawing, possibly of a dune landscape, was made by George Hendrik Breitner, sometime between 1857 and 1923. It’s all about mark-making, those dark, smudgy, almost frantic lines that somehow conjure a space. Look at the texture here, the paper itself is almost as important as the marks on it. The way Breitner uses the graphite – sometimes pressing hard, sometimes barely touching the surface – creates a real sense of depth and atmosphere. See how he’s built up the tones, layer upon layer, especially on the right side. There are some almost architectural lines there, a ladder or scaffolding maybe? It’s like he’s searching for the form, feeling his way through the landscape. There’s a vulnerability in this drawing, a kind of honesty about the process. It reminds me of some of the sketches by Constable, that same desire to capture a fleeting moment, a sense of place. It’s less about the finished product, more about the act of seeing, of trying to understand the world through drawing.