Gezicht op het Damrak te Amsterdam met boten 1912 - 1919

This sketch of the Damrak in Amsterdam was made by George Hendrik Breitner, probably on site, using a very soft and smudgy charcoal. The marks are tentative, searching, very immediate. It’s like he’s trying to capture the essence of a scene, a feeling, rather than a photographic likeness. Look at the way he’s rendered the boats, just a few lines, a quick suggestion, but it’s enough. It's more about the light and atmosphere. The texture of the paper is integral, the tooth of it grabs the charcoal, creating a range of tones from light gray to almost black. He's economical, every line counts. I’m reminded of Daumier, another artist who could do so much with so little, capturing the pulse of modern life with just a few strokes of crayon or charcoal. Both artists knew that art is not about perfect representation, but about feeling and expression. It’s about opening a space of imagination.