Studieblad met hoofden, vissen en kikkers Possibly 1881 - 1883

Editor: So, this is "Studieblad met hoofden, vissen en kikkers" by George Hendrik Breitner, probably from around 1881 to 1883. It’s a study sheet, a page torn right from a sketchbook it looks like, filled with these rapid pencil sketches of, well, heads, fish, and frogs. There's a curious immediacy to it. What strikes you most about it? Curator: The delightful chaos, really. Breitner, usually known for his cityscapes, is just letting loose here. It's like catching a glimpse into the artist's mind – a playground of half-formed ideas, observations. I see not just fish and frogs, but a sense of playful experimentation. Imagine him, quickly capturing the essence of these creatures, driven by sheer curiosity. Do you think these sketches reflect an artist who wants to master it all? Editor: Definitely. There’s a sense of exploration, rather than refinement. They feel raw, almost clumsy, and I think it reflects the beginning stages of the artistic process, of capturing fleeting ideas. Maybe it shows he appreciated those fleeting ideas of ordinary creatures, things that would be gone in an instant if they were around you and me. It also speaks to just wanting to use those few, free minutes. Why sketch fish, frogs, and heads together, anyway? It seems so random! Curator: Does it? Or is he revealing some strange poetry that dwells beneath the surface? Are there visual rhyming patterns happening? What links heads to frogs? This might not be about perfection, or even the specific subject, but more the *act* of seeing, of sketching. Did it shift your own way of seeing even a little? Editor: Actually, yeah. Seeing them as less about "being" fish, frogs, or heads, and more about the shapes and how the lines flow across the page… I can appreciate it more now. It’s not about the finished piece but a fleeting impression, caught and somehow saved. Curator: Precisely! It’s like glimpsing the world through the eyes of Breitner, a snapshot of his artistic journey.