Landschap 1887 - 1891

Curator: Up next is George Hendrik Breitner's "Landschap," a landscape piece from around 1887 to 1891. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first impression? Fleeting. Like catching a glimpse of something just out of the corner of my eye, before it vanishes. It’s so minimal; all lines and suggestion. Curator: Breitner's process is definitely interesting here. This piece is almost exclusively pen sketch. It provides an insight into his methodology, that idea of quickly capturing an image to work with later, right? Editor: Absolutely, it screams work in progress. Look at the way the trunk of the tree is rendered, so roughly hewn, as if the physical act of drawing it, the scratching of the pen against paper, was more important than refined representation. What can you tell me about the setting where Breitner would've developed it, from the perspective of how he developed his style with respect to its making? Curator: This ties in really beautifully with the Dutch tradition, which favors detail in the treatment of landscapes. Editor: Detail...or the materials and setting used, the consumption and distribution chains! So, thinking of symbols is important because how symbols become popular impacts the material that needs to be sourced! Curator: Well, precisely because he omits those usual signifiers of realism. Breitner is interested in capturing something raw, and less idealized. In terms of the context of materials I agree. There's that rawness which comes out when thinking about an unpolished pen sketch versus a completed drawing. Editor: He challenges notions of finish! By showcasing the origins, what could've been tossed to the side is revered. I admire that honoring of process. Curator: I am fascinated how it has gained value and transformed as a result of changes in both the making and culture surrounding art, while the idea in essence, is constant. Editor: It definitely pushes us to ask, “What truly makes something 'art'?” Curator: Absolutely, seeing his process so directly lets us question that which art means more widely and conceptually, as we bring our personal history to understand art as a material and visual marker of the same thing. Editor: I think my appreciation for Breitner just grew! It goes beyond technique and delves into intention, and subversion!