Figuurstudies en een haan 1881 - 1883

Curator: Breitner’s "Figuurstudies en een haan," created between 1881 and 1883, offers a peek into the artist's sketchbook—currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My initial impression is of a playful, almost hurried study. The figures feel very immediate, capturing fleeting expressions with such economical lines. There is something almost primitive to its presentation; it's a bit haunting. Curator: Yes, these sketchbook pages really highlight Breitner's observational skills, but also consider the role of sketchbooks at the time—not always intended for public display but a critical part of artistic training and exploration. We're given a privilege viewing something inherently private. Editor: The composition leads my eyes. Note how the grouping of heads in the top right balances with the rooster—leading into some of these darker shapes. The contrast there draws my attention. Do you find the medium supports the sense of transience? Curator: Absolutely. The choice of pencil lends itself to this immediacy, this feeling of capturing a moment before it disappears. It also speaks to Breitner’s fascination with everyday life, moving away from academic portrayals and classical subjects favored by his contemporaries. These quick studies become critical because of this intent. Editor: The lack of background certainly forces you to focus on form. Take the rooster: its stance, its comb... all defined with remarkably few strokes. The medium absolutely underlines that the work is suggestive, allowing the imagination to finish what's intended. Curator: Precisely. And I think that's what makes it so engaging. It’s not a finished portrait meant to commemorate; it's the artist grappling with form, personality, and capturing the vibrancy of everyday life. Breitner's subjects are the common people he passed in the streets. Editor: I appreciate your point—allowing insight to the artistic process in generating these sketches of models and other figures with clear impressionistic qualities that add value for a museum. Curator: Indeed. Examining these private works illuminates public persona of art for us as we walk these halls. Editor: I will walk away thinking on the dialogue this presents as it transcends to what the artist envisions as part of final artwork through their private sketch.