Vieringtoren van de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam c. 1886 - 1903

Editor: This drawing, "Vieringtoren van de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam," by George Hendrik Breitner, probably made between 1886 and 1903, feels so immediate. The quick pencil strokes really capture a sense of place. What stands out to you? Curator: The immediacy you mention is key. Consider the act of sketching itself, and its deep connection to memory. Here, we see a kind of shorthand. What symbols might the tower have held for Breitner, for Amsterdam, or even more universally, for concepts of aspiration? Editor: Aspiration? I hadn’t considered that. I was mainly focused on the tower as architecture, and Breitner trying to get the dimensions down. Curator: It's both, I think. But architecture is *always* symbolic. Think of how cultures throughout time have used height. Pyramids, ziggurats, skyscrapers. And even the church itself—what does its presence tell you about Amsterdam at the turn of the century? How might the quickly drawn lines suggest progress or perhaps something less permanent? Editor: Well, Amsterdam was a major trading hub…so perhaps this drawing is emblematic of its striving for wealth and influence? But I can see your point. It is *just* a sketch…so perhaps something more fleeting, like the impermanence of earthly achievements. Curator: Exactly! The tower reaches, but the medium whispers of fragility. Doesn’t that duality create a fascinating tension? What lasting impact does the impermanent leave? Editor: I see it now. It's not just a depiction of a building, it's about the ideas connected with the building... and the act of depicting. This makes me want to visit Amsterdam and seek out the Vieringtoren myself!