Zittende figuur 1886 - 1923

This is a sketch of a seated figure by George Hendrik Breitner, we don't know exactly when it was made, but it's rendered in charcoal, a medium that’s immediate and so good for capturing fleeting impressions. The drawing feels very alive to me. Breitner’s mark-making is all about the process, isn’t it? You can see the ghost of the artist's hand moving across the paper. The lines are tentative, searching, as if he's trying to find the form within the chaos. It's like a dance between the artist and the subject, a real conversation. Look at the way he's rendered the hands. They are not precise, but they have this incredible energy, like they’re about to reach out and grab something. There's a real dialogue happening here, across time, like the conversation Manet was having with the old masters, but with a gritty, urban edge. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about perfect representation, but about how we see and experience the world.