Paard 1880 - 1882

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, “Paard,” now at the Rijksmuseum, using graphite on paper. The immediate impression is one of fragmented form and ethereal lightness. The composition is dominated by flowing lines that sketch out the contours of a horse, yet these lines remain open, suggesting movement and incompleteness. The artist's focus seems less on the horse's concrete representation and more on capturing its dynamic presence. Breitner challenges traditional modes of representation. Instead, he uses the sketch format to convey the energy and raw vitality of the subject. The semiotic value lies in the suggestive power of the marks; the drawing does not 'show' the horse but rather evokes its being through a constellation of lines and shadows. The unfinished quality emphasizes the act of seeing and the process of artistic creation. The sketch becomes an exploration of form and potential, leaving us to contemplate the nature of representation itself.