Architectuurstudies c. 1886 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this architectural study, probably in situ, using graphite on paper. The lines are raw and immediate, quick impressions. The light and shadow are captured here, the artist seeing the volume and depth of the buildings. It looks like the architecture is fighting back; like he's trying to tame the wildness of the image before him. I think it is a testament to Breitner's sensibility as a painter that the sketch never quite becomes fixed or resolved. The lack of clear boundaries between objects and the atmospheric space creates ambiguity, and it suggests that the external world is never fully knowable. As a painter myself, I see echoes of my own practice in his work. I can see the physical effort and the joy and I admire his honesty. Every time a painter puts a mark on paper, they are making an offering, and hoping that it will touch the heart of another.