Gezicht in Amsterdam, abklatsch van een krijttekening 1912

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of a view in Amsterdam, and then transferred it in reverse onto another surface— a process called 'abklatsch'. You can see how the buildings are barely there; just ghostly suggestions. I like to imagine Breitner, standing on a cold, wet street, furiously sketching. And then, back in the studio, a moment of transfer, a kind of materialization of memory. It’s interesting to think about what he was thinking when he made this. Was it an experiment, or a way of working through a difficult composition? I think about other artists such as Gerhard Richter who also investigate how the process of making can become a form of inquiry, a way of experiencing the world. The soft gray tones and smudged lines create a melancholic, atmospheric quality, and makes me think about how artists inspire one another across time. It’s also just nice to be reminded that sometimes the most interesting things happen in between: in the studio, in the process, in the accidental.