Schetsboek met 46 bladen vervaardigd in Amsterdam, Rotterdam en Haarlem 1907

Curator: What strikes you about this sketchbook at first glance? Editor: You know, I see this incredibly tactile surface—it practically begs to be touched. There's a certain wildness in the texture, like looking at tree bark, all knotted and grooved, but muted, quiet. Curator: You've captured something essential. What we see is the cover of "Schetsboek met 46 bladen vervaardigd in Amsterdam, Rotterdam en Haarlem," which roughly translates to "Sketchbook with 46 sheets made in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Haarlem." It's a mixed-media work dating back to 1907 by George Hendrik Breitner, housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. The toned paper and impasto lend it that incredible organic texture. Editor: Ah, Breitner! That makes sense. Knowing it's a sketchbook gives the texture a different resonance, like the potential energy of a mind about to burst with creativity. The spine's darkness and simplicity against that tumultuous surface... there's a tension that intrigues me. Do we know what was captured on those pages within? Curator: Absolutely, that organic quality points us directly to his focus as a painter. This sketchbook contains rapid, impressionistic studies of street life, portraits of working-class women, and fleeting urban scenes. He really seized upon the moment, finding his subject within the everyday and mundane. Editor: So, almost a visual diary, capturing transient beauty that usually goes unnoticed? Like an antidote to the posed portraits of the elite. It is exciting to get a glimpse into what he found beautiful about everyday people, but, this notebook is very private and intimate. I am curious to explore his work even further. Curator: Exactly. And Breitner wasn't afraid to show the grit of urban existence. His sketchbook wasn’t about pristine landscapes; it was about life as it was lived, day in and day out. That explains the texture, and its correlation to Art Nouveau too. Art Nouveau had a big focus on textures and materials as symbols, it represented natural and organic patterns. I find it intriguing in this notebook's rough organic texture and geometric rectangular format of a book! Editor: I love that tension. Thank you for opening that up. Curator: And thank you for prompting a fresh look at an object I thought I knew intimately! It's amazing how a different perspective unlocks new avenues of meaning.