Studie, mogelijk een compositiestudie 1886 - 1923

This is a pencil study, probably from the hand of George Hendrik Breitner. It's a glimpse into the artist's process, this kind of thinking on paper. The marks are tentative, searching. It's all about trying to figure out the bones of the composition, the underlying structure. The textures in this piece are so delicate, created by the soft give of the pencil on paper, and that contrast with the firm architecture of the boxed composition. Look at the lines forming the buildings, how they wobble and double back, it is like a kind of visual stutter, a tangible record of the artist's thought process. This idea of the sketch shows me that ambiguity is a good way to think about the world, because it holds more possibilities and invites conversation. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly's drawings, though Breitner's feels more grounded in observation.