Hoofd van een paard 1872 - 1878

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, Head of a Horse, with graphite on paper. It's a simple combination, but the effect is far from simple. Look at the tentative, searching quality of the lines, as Breitner coaxes the horse's head into being. He hasn't laboured over it. Instead, he has captured its essence with a lightness of touch, as if he wants to record the animal’s fleeting presence, its very breath. It makes you wonder about the social status of the artwork, and where horses were placed within the hierarchy of labour in Dutch Society. The choice of humble materials – graphite and paper – emphasizes the raw, unpretentious nature of the drawing. It resists any grand claims of artistic skill. The artist here becomes an observer, capturing a momentary glimpse of life, with the horse as a key agent in the Dutch economy. It reminds us that the value of art lies not only in its technical complexity, but also in its ability to connect us to the world around us.