Gezicht op een hoekhuis met een bordestrap c. 1900 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of a corner house with a stoop, likely in Amsterdam, using graphite on paper. It’s all about the bones of a place, isn’t it? The quick, jotted lines remind me of Cy Twombly’s drawings, all nervous energy and raw immediacy. You can almost feel Breitner’s hand moving across the page, capturing the essence of the building with just a few strokes. Look at that vertical line suggesting a facade, with these small, almost frantic marks capturing a suggestion of the architectural features, the angles and recession of space. It’s like he's saying, "Here's the thing, not exactly how it looks, but how it feels." It reminds me that art isn't always about perfection, but about the messy, imperfect beauty of process and the exchange of ideas.