Gezicht in Amsterdam, mogelijk de Dam c. 1902 - 1914

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of a view in Amsterdam, maybe the Dam, using pencil on paper. Looking at this sketch, I can almost feel the energy of Breitner at work, dashing off these lines. I like to imagine him standing there, notebook in hand, quickly capturing the essence of the city scene before him. The buildings emerge through a flurry of marks, some dark and assertive, others light and tentative, as though he’s feeling his way through the chaos of the city. That scribbled texture really gets me. It’s like he's not just drawing what he sees, but also how he feels about being there. I wonder, was he in a hurry? Or just excited by the hustle and bustle? I often try to bring that same kind of raw, unfiltered energy to my own paintings. A constant reminder that drawing and painting is a conversation, across time, from one artist to another.