Gezicht op de Prinsengracht te Amsterdam 1886 - 1923

This drawing of the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, by George Hendrik Breitner, seems to have been made quickly, probably with a graphite stick. The marks are laid down in layers and short directional strokes, a bit like Cezanne, feeling around for the motif. The texture is rugged, full of starts and stops, and pentimenti, you can see how he’s constructed and reconstructed the buildings and the canal. The whole thing has this provisional feeling, as though it’s about to dissolve back into nothing. See how the smudges and smears add to the overall haze? It is all about capturing a fleeting impression. There’s this one dark cluster, like a knot, pulling our eye into the scene. Breitner's work has a kinship with artists like James McNeill Whistler, who also captured the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere with incredible sensitivity. Like a conversation with other artists, it’s art that embraces ambiguity, leaving room for the unexpected.