Boerderijen c. 1883 - 1885

George Hendrik Breitner sketched Boerderijen, or Farmhouses, sometime between 1880 and 1923 using graphite on paper. Breitner was known for his depictions of working-class life in Amsterdam, a city undergoing rapid industrialization and social change. In this sketch, we see a more rural scene, the farmhouses rendered with quick, almost hesitant lines. The sketch feels incomplete, as if Breitner captured a fleeting impression. Breitner was interested in capturing the immediacy of modern life, and his sketches often reflect this. The lack of detail invites us to consider the lives of those who inhabited these farmhouses, the labor they performed, and their relationship to the land. As Breitner himself said, "Art is not there to solve social problems, but to show them." This sketch, while seemingly simple, offers a glimpse into the changing landscape of the Netherlands at the turn of the century. It serves as a reminder of the human stories embedded in the everyday, and the importance of bearing witness to the transformations around us.