Figuur met een voorwerp in zijn handen 1881 - 1883

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of a figure with an object in its hands, on paper, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. Breitner was a flâneur of the late 19th century, who captured the working class through photography and painting. This sketch gives us insight into his process, showing a figure in charcoal, quickly rendered, perhaps on the move. Breitner was interested in representing the lives of the every-day person, and we can imagine him capturing the essence of a person carrying an object as they pass by. The sketch is a study of movement and form, capturing a fleeting moment in time. It’s a reminder of the beauty and dignity inherent in the mundane aspects of urban life. This is an expression of the artist’s commitment to documenting the world around him, as he saw it.