Soldaten 1887 - 1891

Editor: This graphite drawing, “Soldaten,” or “Soldiers,” by George Hendrik Breitner, circa 1887 to 1891, has a sketchy, almost ephemeral quality. I find it intriguing, but also a little puzzling to decipher. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: What tickles me is how Breitner manages to convey so much with so little. It’s like a fleeting memory, isn’t it? A wisp of graphite on paper, and suddenly you're in the middle of… something military. Though you don't quite know *what*. Are they marching? Hiding? Just existing? Editor: Exactly! That ambiguity is what gets me. I almost feel like I need to fill in the blanks myself, project my own ideas onto it. Is that typical of Breitner’s style? Curator: Yes, and especially in his drawings and sketches, like this one. He’s considered an important figure of Dutch Impressionism, yet also an edgy artist. And remember that the Dutch tradition valued *seeing*. Think of Rembrandt, and light. Breitner is doing this, but capturing the modern and ordinary. Rather than posed portraits, here's the working-class on the go. Editor: So it’s not just about the technical skill, but the capture of a moment in time, a feeling, right? Curator: Precisely! What do *you* feel when you see it? It might seem incomplete, maybe almost sloppy, but that immediacy gives it…dare I say, a life its own. Maybe you even feel like you’re seeing exactly what Breitner himself saw – that quick, decisive, impression of a memory. Editor: I guess I'm seeing how impactful something "unfinished" can be. I came in thinking it was just a quick sketch, but I now think of it more as a considered study. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! Perhaps that's a bit of Breitner’s mischievous genius at play. Turning the art world upside down. I now see it with a bit more life as well!