Figuurstudies c. 1903

Here are some figure studies by George Hendrik Breitner made with ink on paper. There is a feeling of the city, a crowd, figures. What I see here is searching, almost anxious marks. He’s trying to figure something out and capture it on the page. I can relate to that completely. It feels like he needed to get something down fast, like he was capturing a fleeting moment or an impression. I wonder, was he thinking about Degas, the way Degas captured dancers in motion? The ink is a little scratchy, with varying line weights. It's cool how the minimal lines create a sense of volume. The artist manages to express a whole world with just a few strokes. When I look at the scribble at the top I imagine the sounds of the city: the noise and commotion. It reminds you that artists are always looking, always learning, from each other and from the world around them.