Gezicht op het Damrak te Amsterdam met boten 1912 - 1919

This is George Hendrik Breitner's sketch of the Damrak in Amsterdam, it's just lines on paper, but somehow it sings! Look at how he uses line to create form. These aren't perfect depictions, but quick impressions, made to capture the feeling of the place, the way the light hits the buildings, the movement of the boats. He's thinking through drawing. The texture of the paper, those scribbled annotations, it makes me feel like I'm looking over his shoulder, watching him work. It’s like peeking into the artist's mind. That directness is compelling. It reminds me a little of Van Gogh’s drawings, especially in the way he uses the marks to convey energy. Both artists share that interest in the everyday, in finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. It all feels so alive, doesn't it?