Cavaleristen of artilleristen te paard Possibly 1881 - 1883

This is a page of sketches, Cavaleristen of artilleristen te paard, made in the Netherlands by George Hendrik Breitner, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Breitner was known for his unflinching depictions of working-class life in Amsterdam, often rendered in a loose, impressionistic style. Here, we see his rapid notations of soldiers on horseback; these are more like fleeting impressions, than finished studies. These images create meaning through their very incompleteness. Breitner was working at a time when the military still had a very visible presence in the streets of Europe. Was Breitner celebrating the military prowess of the Dutch state, or was he making a more critical comment on the role of the military in everyday life? To answer that question, we need to consider how the institutions of art shaped his career, and the social conditions of the Netherlands at the time. Historical research provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of art as something that is contingent on social and institutional context.