Gezicht op een straat in Amsterdam 1907

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of a street in Amsterdam with graphite on paper. The artist probably walked around the city and did what artists do, looking at the world, processing it, trying to understand it, and trying to represent it. The drawing isn't too laboured; it feels quick and easy. The lines feel a little bit unsure, a little bit sketchy, like a memory, and it is sort of provisional. He wasn’t trying to create a photographic depiction, but something more personal, as though this was just for himself. It could have been raining. I feel like this drawing opens up to something a little deeper. The beauty of marks, the tonality, and the way the buildings emerge is beautiful. It could be a way to open up a conversation about how paintings help us understand the world. I can see a bit of Symbolism here, or maybe even echoes of James Whistler. Artists are always having conversations, and the drawing is another beautiful mark in time that speaks across time.