Zelfportret c. 1880 - 1885

George Hendrik Breitner made this self-portrait in charcoal on paper sometime during his career. It consists of a roughly sketched head-and-shoulders self-portrait, seemingly peering over a ledge, and a separate sketch of an arm and hand adjusting a sock. Breitner was a leading figure in the Amsterdam Impressionism movement of the late 19th century. This was a time of rapid social and economic change in the Netherlands, as the country industrialized and urbanized. Artists like Breitner sought to capture the realities of modern life, often focusing on working-class subjects and urban scenes. Breitner's images of working-class life and the urban environment challenged the prevailing social norms of his time. His commitment to depicting the realities of modern life made him a progressive figure in the Dutch art world. To understand Breitner's art better, we can look at period newspapers and photographs, in addition to exhibition reviews and sales records. This helps us understand the artwork as a product of its specific social and institutional context.