Gezicht op een straat in Amsterdam met een paard-en-wagen 1912

This is George Hendrik Breitner's sketch of an Amsterdam street with a horse and carriage. Looking at this, I imagine Breitner with his sketchbook, quickly capturing the city's essence. It’s all about the line here, isn't it? Energetic and immediate, like a thought zipping across the page. You can see the buildings forming from a series of quick strokes, and sense the movement of the horse and carriage. I wonder, was he standing still, or perhaps sketching from a moving tram? You know, it's this very raw, unfinished quality that I find so appealing. It reminds me that painting is as much about the process as it is about the final product, and how a simple gesture can convey so much. It’s as if he's inviting us into his way of seeing. This sketch feels so contemporary to me. It's a reminder that artists are always in conversation across time, riffing off each other.