Gezicht op een straat in Amsterdam 1907

This quick drawing of a street in Amsterdam was made by George Hendrik Breitner. The marks are so immediate, like he’s trying to catch a thought before it disappears. The pencil lines have a real sense of touch, as if you can feel the nib scratching against the paper. I find myself trying to imagine the rhythm of his hand as he drew, the speed and the pressure he applied to create these varied lines. Look at the way the lines describing the buildings are so light and airy, while those delineating the architectural details are darker and more defined. There's a real contrast between the solid forms of the buildings and the ephemeral quality of the street. It reminds me a bit of Philip Guston’s late drawings – both artists capturing the world around them with a raw, unfiltered energy. Art is really just a long conversation, and drawings like this are part of that ongoing dialogue, always questioning and exploring.