Studie c. 1895 - 1898

George Hendrik Breitner created this drawing, 'Studie,' now held in the Rijksmuseum, with sketches of a window or door frame juxtaposed with a barely visible study of what appear to be carriages. The stark, bold lines of the frame contrast with the ethereal carriages, evoking a sense of confinement alongside the dynamism of city life. The window frame is a symbol of division, of looking out versus participating, reminiscent of similar motifs found in Renaissance paintings where windows often separate sacred and profane spaces. Here, the 'profane' manifests not as sin but as the mundane, bustling world outside, viewed through the lens of the artist’s inner world. This juxtaposition is a powerful visual metaphor of the artist's psyche, caught between observation and engagement, resonating deeply with our own subconscious struggles to reconcile inner thoughts and external reality. It embodies a continuous cycle, reappearing in various forms throughout art history, reflecting humanity’s ongoing dialogue between isolation and connection.