Staande vrouw met hoed c. 1886s

This sketch, "Staaande Vrouw met Hoed" or "Standing Woman with Hat" is by George Hendrik Breitner and is in the Rijksmuseum. The sketch presents us with a stark composition. It's a play of angles and lines, where the figure emerges from the negative space, not through detail, but through suggestion. Breitner captures a fleeting moment with minimal strokes, challenging traditional portraiture that values likeness and detail. The woman's form is reduced to essential geometric shapes. The hat, the shoulders, and the fall of her dress are all indicated with an economy of line that speaks volumes about structure and form. There’s a certain rawness in its execution, revealing the artist's process and the immediacy of his vision. This sketch invites us to see beyond representation and consider the underlying framework that shapes our perception. It is a testament to how much can be conveyed with so little.