Studie 1887

This graphite sketch, by George Hendrik Breitner, is part of a larger sketchbook, a portable site for creative thinking. The material itself, graphite, is interesting. It is a relatively soft, readily available mineral, and through the process of rubbing it leaves a mark. Here, Breitner uses the side of the graphite to lightly shade, and the point to create line. The quality of the material lends itself to the rapid capturing of impressions, its inherent qualities of smudge, lightness and darkness creating fleeting tonal variations. It’s interesting to think of this sketch as a preliminary stage, a ‘thinking through’ that happens before the creation of a finished artwork. In this way, Breitner engages with a long history of creative practices, using the immediacy of graphite to map out ideas and concepts. Graphite is a common material, readily available, and that, like Breitner, democratizes art and moves it away from the preciousness of the Academy.