Wipmolen te Gorinchem 1880 - 1882

George Hendrik Breitner created this drawing of 'Wipmolen te Gorinchem' using graphite on paper. The sketch presents us with a fragmented view of a windmill, its architectural components rendered with an economy of line. The composition is structured around the windmill's form, where lines delineate its contours, capturing a sense of its structure. The varying line weights suggest depth and shadow, lending a three-dimensionality to the two-dimensional surface. The sketch’s incompleteness invites a semiotic reading: the windmill, traditionally a symbol of stability and industry, here appears transient, existing only as a fleeting impression. Breitner, through his selective depiction, destabilizes the windmill's conventional meaning, prompting us to consider it not as a solid, immutable object but as a dynamic interplay of forms, subject to perception. It becomes an exercise in seeing and representing, questioning the very nature of visual experience.