Annotaties Possibly 1907 - 1911

This is George Hendrik Breitner’s "Annotations", a page presumably from one of the artist's notebooks. It looks like it was made with graphite or ink. The scribbled handwriting is just so human. It reminds me of the kind of frantic note-taking that I do when I’m trying to capture a fleeting idea. What I find most striking is the texture. It's aged and worn, giving it a sense of history. The paper looks thin, almost translucent, with the ink bleeding slightly into the fibers. The lines vary from delicate wisps to bold strokes, creating a dynamic rhythm across the surface. It is hard to tell exactly what the subject of each note might be, but something about the forthright nature of the penmanship feels both honest and intimate. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing the artist's hand so directly at play. Think of Cy Twombly, and you get a sense of the intimacy of language combined with the visual mark. It’s like catching a glimpse into the artist's thought process as it unfolds.