Gezicht op bebouwing, mogelijk aan het water 1881 - 1883

This quick sketch of a waterside building was made by George Hendrik Breitner, a Dutch artist working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Breitner was known for his gritty, urban scenes of Amsterdam. This sketch gives us a glimpse into Breitner’s process. In a time when the art world was dominated by idealized landscapes and portraits, Breitner turned his attention to the everyday life of the working class. You can imagine him, standing on the waterfront, quickly capturing the scene before him. The sketch is rough and unfinished, but it conveys a sense of immediacy and authenticity. Breitner once said he aimed to capture "the impression, the emotion of the moment." While seemingly simple, this sketch disrupts traditional notions of beauty and elevates the ordinary. What do you feel when you look at this piece? Perhaps a sense of the artist’s presence, the weight of the city, the immediacy of life itself. It's a reminder that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places.