Meisjes, mogelijk ballerina's 1884 - 1886

Editor: Breitner's "Girls, possibly Ballerinas," created between 1884 and 1886, is rendered simply with pencil on paper. It's interesting how such basic materials can create a work that feels both intimate and immediate, like we're glimpsing a private moment. What stands out to you in terms of the composition and how it is working here? Curator: Focusing solely on its formal elements, observe how Breitner establishes space within the plane of the paper. Notice the deliberate use of line and how line thickness differs to denote shapes of volume, such as the skirt and its relationship with the legs, the figure to its surroundings. There's a definite rhythm and economy of mark-making in how the shapes are composed to imply form. Editor: Yes, it is very gestural. Curator: Indeed. Also consider that Breitner only employed minimal shading. Where do you see how such methods are able to lend this sketch a distinctive characteristic? Editor: I think the lack of heavy shading contributes to its feeling of transience; as a quick study, a kind of experiment in portraying motion, perhaps? It makes you focus on the dynamism of the lines themselves. Curator: Precisely. The simplicity is deceiving, the dynamism derives directly from the skillful arrangements and line work that provides structure to the sketch's subjects and their volume within a defined space. It's not merely a surface representation, but an attempt at a more significant organization. Editor: That’s fascinating, considering how the composition relies on implication through light strokes of pencil, almost suggesting rather than describing. It provides a structure in which these ballerina's postures take their life. Curator: Exactly, we’ve looked at this work together and found both a dynamic surface treatment in line, and an intrinsic harmony underneath this image that gives structure and visual balance to the study of the young dancers.