Gezicht in Haarlem met de Sint-Bavokerk c. 1902

Here's a graphite sketch, a view in Haarlem with the Sint-Bavo Church, made by George Hendrik Breitner. Look at those loose, searching lines. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving quickly across the page, trying to capture the essence of the scene before it shifts. I imagine Breitner standing there, maybe a little cold, squinting at the light, trying to translate the three-dimensional world onto this flat surface. What do you think he was thinking about? Was he thinking about Velasquez? Or maybe just trying to get the proportions right? Notice how the lines aren't precious or overworked; they’re immediate, raw. That one single stroke defining the edge of the building has so much feeling in it. It’s a reminder that art isn’t just about the finished product, but the process, the searching, the trying. Artists are always in conversation, riffing off of each other's ideas across time. It's less about perfect answers and more about asking interesting questions.