Gezicht op een ophaalbrug, mogelijk in Amsterdam c. 1903

Here's a drawing, possibly of a bridge in Amsterdam by George Hendrik Breitner. It’s all graphite lines, rapid, searching, like the artist is trying to pin down a fleeting image. I can imagine Breitner standing there, squinting at the scene, his hand moving quickly across the paper, trying to capture the essence of the bridge before the light changes or the moment passes. See how the lines are so tentative, like he’s feeling his way around the forms? He’s trying to find the underlying structure of the bridge without getting bogged down in details. It reminds me of some of my own sketches, where I’m just trying to get a sense of the thing, rather than create a perfect representation. It's like he’s in conversation with other artists who have tried to capture the essence of a place or a moment. And it reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation, where we build on each other’s ideas and insights, always searching for new ways to see and understand the world.