Gebouwen in Scheveningen 1880 - 1882

George Hendrik Breitner sketched "Gebouwen in Scheveningen" in pencil on paper, capturing the essence of the Dutch coastal town. Breitner, a contemporary of Van Gogh, moved away from the romanticism of earlier Dutch painting. Instead, he focused on the gritty realities of urban life and working-class subjects. Breitner's impressionistic style seeks to portray the everyday life of ordinary people. In this work he seems to have turned his eye on architecture, but we can still recognize his interest in modernity. This sketch offers a glimpse into the rapidly changing urban landscape of the Netherlands during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work often evokes a sense of melancholy. "I see the gray, feel the gray, and that is what I paint," Breitner once said, capturing the emotional depth in his realistic depictions. This drawing reflects the broader societal shifts of the time and invites us to reflect on our own experiences within the spaces we inhabit.