Gezicht op een straat in Amsterdam 1886 - 1908

This is a sketch of a street in Amsterdam by George Hendrik Breitner, made sometime between 1880 and 1923. The bare urban landscape, devoid of romanticism, presents a stark representation of daily life. Note the recurring motif of the street lamp. While appearing merely functional, its presence resonates with deeper symbolic echoes. Consider the gas lamps of earlier centuries, serving not just as illumination but as beacons of progress and civilization. This symbolism is reminiscent of the torch in ancient depictions of Prometheus, who brings light to humanity. Yet, here, Breitner’s lamp is unadorned, stripped of mythic grandeur. It’s a symbol transformed, domesticated. Through such subtle alterations, motifs endure, their meanings shifting with the tides of time. This work resonates with echoes of the past, reminding us that even in the mundane, history persists.