Bomen langs een pad c. 1902 - 1914

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch, Bomen langs een pad, with graphite on paper. The quick, light marks here are like catching a thought as it flies by. The artist isn't trying to copy what's in front of them but more like, grabbing its essence. It’s a process of distillation, like boiling down a big pot of soup to get a super concentrated flavor. I like how the lines overlap and intersect, creating little areas of shadow and depth, even though it’s just a simple sketch. And it’s interesting how the texture of the paper shows through, adding another layer of visual interest. The long marks leading the eye through the scene make me think of similar marks in drawings by Gustov Klimt. Drawings like these remind us that art is not just about the final product but also about the process of seeing, feeling, and thinking.