Neighborhood Street in The Hague or Scheveningen c. 1880 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this painting of a neighborhood street in The Hague or Scheveningen, with oil on panel. The tones are so simple, almost monochromatic; this is not a painting about light and shadow as much as it's about greys. Look at the way the paint kind of blobs and smears, it’s almost like he wiped the paint on with a rag. See how the figure standing at the end of the alley is just brushed in, a few strokes suggesting form, but not really defining it? This isn't about details, it’s about the feel of the place, the gloom, the quiet. The whole thing reminds me of a Whistler nocturne, where the subject is more of a mood than a place. It’s like Breitner is saying, hey, even the everyday can be poetic.