Studieblad met hoofden 1884 - 1886

This study sheet of heads by George Hendrik Breitner resides in the Rijksmuseum. Executed with graphite on paper, the composition is dominated by a sparse arrangement of facial profiles and headgear studies, each rendered with varying degrees of completion. The texture of the paper is visible throughout, emphasizing the immediacy of the artist's sketch. Breitner employs a structural approach by focusing on the geometric simplification of facial features and the play of light and shadow to define form. The incomplete nature of each study invites a semiotic reading, where each line and shading act as signs pointing towards a potential whole. This fragmentation destabilizes the notion of a complete, unified representation, instead highlighting the process of observation and construction. Notice how the artist challenges our perception by presenting forms that are both present and absent. The graphite lines serve not only as a means of representation but also as a way of engaging with the very structure of seeing. This is a powerful statement on the nature of representation itself.