Gezicht op de Platte Brug en de Kleine Brug te Gorinchem 1880 - 1882

Curator: Editor: Breitner's "Gezicht op de Platte Brug en de Kleine Brug te Gorinchem," made with graphite and pen on paper between 1880 and 1882, gives me a sense of immediacy. It's like a fleeting glimpse captured in a sketchbook. What details stand out to you? Curator: It’s precisely that feeling of immediacy we need to focus on. Consider the materials. Graphite and ink—readily available, cheap. Why these choices? The sketch suggests a particular mode of artistic production, one tied to the rhythms of daily life, doesn’t it? How does this relate to his subjects? Editor: I suppose it allowed him to quickly capture scenes from everyday life, focusing on the industrial areas of cities. The drawing has been made in a quick manner that captures the atmosphere on the paper. The sketch feels so candid because the artist does not intend to show everything but still has the means to capture the most important elements. Curator: Exactly. Breitner here isn't presenting a finished masterpiece; it's a record of labor, his own. And this connects directly to the subject matter: the bridge. Bridges facilitate transport, commerce, labor. He highlights the everyday. Is it about making that kind of work visible? How do you think a more 'finished' artwork changes this? Editor: Well, a finished work might obscure that labor, becoming more about the final product than the process itself. A sketch reveals the artist's hand, the materials' limitations, and the social context of its creation. Curator: Precisely! And that awareness shifts our understanding of what art *is*, where value lies – not just in the aesthetic object, but in the processes, labor, and materials that create it and their context. Editor: So, viewing art through a materialist lens gives value to the process as a form of art of itself. Thanks, this was great! Curator: Indeed, looking at these sketches helps me reconsider our traditional ideas of fine art, while examining the social environment surrounding it. A fruitful discussion!