Studie, mogelijk van een ploeg met een paard 1884 - 1886

George Hendrik Breitner made this study of a possibly horse-drawn plow with charcoal on paper. Breitner was known for his paintings of working-class life in Amsterdam, and here, he seems interested in capturing the energy and movement of labor. In the late 19th century, Dutch artists were increasingly concerned with representing modern life and the changing social landscape. The Hague School, for example, focused on rural scenes and landscapes, but Breitner and others sought to depict the urban experience. This drawing could be seen in that context, as an attempt to capture the dynamism of the city, where agriculture and industrialization intersected. Institutions like the Rijksmuseum played a key role in shaping artistic taste and promoting certain narratives about Dutch identity. By including works like this in their collection, they legitimized the representation of everyday life as a worthy subject for art. To fully understand this drawing, we might consult archival materials, such as Breitner's letters or contemporary accounts of Amsterdam. Art history reminds us that the meaning of art is always tied to its social and institutional context.