Boot 1907 - 1909

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, Boot, with a stick of charcoal on paper. Look how Breitner’s marks are so direct and economical. It’s like he’s thinking on the page, working out the basic form. You can almost feel the charcoal scratching against the paper, the texture is very present. The dark, almost smudgy lines of the boot contrast with the bare, untouched paper, creating a dynamic tension. See how these lines, full of slight imperfections and variations in pressure, give the boot a real sense of weight and presence. The way the charcoal is applied gives it a slightly rough and worn feel. It reminds me a bit of Philip Guston’s late work, that same kind of rough-hewn, honest approach to image-making. Art is always a conversation, right? A dialogue across time and space.