Bouwterrein aan de De Clercqstraat c. 1880 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made 'Bouwterrein aan de De Clercqstraat' with oil on panel, and it’s a flurry of tans and greys, a symphony of earth tones. Can you imagine the artist standing there, probably freezing, quickly trying to capture the scene? The paint isn’t too thick, but you can still see those brushstrokes pulling you into the construction site. Look at how the colors blend, not perfectly, but just enough to suggest a real place, a real moment in time. I wonder what Breitner was thinking? Did he just want to show the grit of the city, or was he trying to find something beautiful in all that mess? That vertical stroke of brown – is that a tree, or just a big stick? – it sort of anchors the whole thing. It makes you think about how even in the middle of a construction site, nature is still trying to grow. It's a dialogue between chaos and order, something a lot of painters have been trying to figure out forever.