Gezicht op de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal te Antwerpen 1907 - 1909

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of the Cathedral in Antwerp with graphite on paper. The mark-making is all about brevity, like a visual shorthand. The texture of the paper peeks through, adding a kind of breathiness to the whole scene. The artist is not trying to capture every detail but rather the essence of a memory. Look at the scribble of lines suggesting clouds, not trying to define them, but simply placing them in the sky. The rapid, jotted lines of the rooftops, the angles quickly noted. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s sketches, and like Twombly there is a beauty in the casualness, the willingness to leave things unresolved. This sketch isn’t trying to be the final word; it’s a moment, an impression, a fleeting thought made visible. Art is always a conversation, a call and response across time.