Boerderij of schuur 1880 - 1882

This sketch of a farm or barn was made by George Hendrik Breitner, likely in preparation for a painting. He used graphite pencil on paper, a humble and immediate medium. The marks are quick, with a sense of urgency in the way the artist has captured the scene. You can almost feel Breitner’s hand moving across the page, rapidly laying down lines to define the basic forms of the buildings. The texture of the paper itself becomes part of the image, catching the graphite and creating a subtle graininess. This directness and simplicity is characteristic of sketching. It’s about economy of means, getting the most information down with the least amount of labor. It’s a functional method, but it’s also a way of seeing – of reducing the world to its essentials. The beauty of this sketch lies in its unpretentiousness; it’s a glimpse into the artist’s working method, unfiltered and raw. It collapses any perceived distinctions between high art and the everyday practice that supports it.