Twee aangespannen paarden 1907 - 1909

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of two harnessed horses, we don't know when or with what exactly. Look at the marks, so rapidly put down they appear to be barely contained on the page. I imagine him sketching feverishly, trying to capture the image before him. I love the energy, the absolute economy of line, the way the paper holds just enough information for my eye to complete the scene. You know, so much of painting is not about the thing you are trying to represent, but the experience of making. The materiality of painting is all we have at the end. I wonder how much Breitner was thinking about other horse painters. Was he in conversation with them? Probably. We all are. It's one big, messy, beautiful conversation that stretches back in time. What a wonderful way to be alive!