Staande vrouw met hoed c. 1903

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of a standing woman with a hat, with pencil on paper. It is a quick sketch, a moment captured, more of an impression than a portrait. I see a flurry of lines, a dance of dark marks against the pale paper. The artist has captured her essence with so few strokes! It’s like he’s thinking through the drawing, figuring it out as he goes. You can see where he’s gone over lines, searching for the right form, the right angle of the hat, the tilt of her head. I can feel the energy in his hand as he worked, the scratch of the pencil, the push and pull of his gaze. I can imagine him thinking about other artists such as Degas, and maybe sketching this woman as he was working on another larger painting. It reminds me how artists are always in conversation with each other, echoing and responding across time.