Gezicht op het Singel te Amsterdam c. 1893s - 1903s

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of the Singel in Amsterdam, probably in one of his notebooks and likely with graphite or charcoal. It looks like he wanted to quickly capture the bones of the scene. It's about the feeling of a place more than the detail. The way he gets the light and shadow with these simple marks is really something. It makes me think about how much information we actually need to understand something. On the left page, there's this mass of scribbled lines that somehow suggests a building or trees. Then on the right, the faintest of smudges makes you believe there's a whole cityscape fading into the distance. This sketch reminds me of some of Cy Twombly's drawings, especially how he uses the bare minimum to suggest so much, letting the viewer’s mind fill in the gaps. Art isn't about showing everything, it's about the conversation between the artist and the viewer, an invitation to see the world, and what it can be.