Gezicht op de Nieuwe Teertuinen te Amsterdam met de Sloterdijkbrug Possibly 1907 - 1911

Editor: This sketch by George Hendrik Breitner, possibly from between 1907 and 1911, depicts a view of the Nieuwe Teertuinen in Amsterdam using pencil. It’s interesting how sparse it is, almost skeletal, but there’s something compelling in its simplicity. What strikes you most about it? Curator: For me, the power lies in understanding this drawing as a product of labor and social circumstance. It’s pencil on paper, readily available materials of the time, suggesting a level of accessibility and perhaps even a directness in Breitner’s engagement with his surroundings. The unfinished quality, the visible process, emphasizes the artist's hand and the physical act of creating the image. Editor: So you're saying the materials and the fact that it's a sketch contribute to its meaning? Curator: Precisely. It's not just about representing the scene; it’s about the materiality of the artwork itself, the labor involved in its creation. Consider the location – the Nieuwe Teertuinen, a working-class area. How does that setting influence the art being produced? Does it reflect the day-to-day realities of those who live and work there? How would we value a finished painting versus this sketch, given these circumstances? Editor: That makes me think about the contrast between the fleeting, almost disposable nature of the sketch versus the permanence we associate with "high art" paintings. Curator: Exactly. And what does that say about the value we place on different kinds of labor and production? About whose stories are considered worthy of preservation and celebration? Editor: I see now that considering the materials and the process opens up a whole new way to understand this sketch beyond just its subject matter. Curator: It reveals how deeply intertwined art is with the economic and social conditions in which it’s created, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. I will definitely view sketches from a new, refreshed perspective!