Vogelkop en twee figuurstudies 1881 - 1883

Curator: Breitner's pencil drawing, "Vogelkop en twee figuurstudies" from around 1881-1883, offers us a glimpse into the artist’s sketchbook and is held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It strikes me as rather somber, doesn’t it? The figures are cloaked in shadow and the rough pencil strokes give it a tentative air. Curator: Indeed, and this sketch book aesthetic makes a fascinating study. The sketch features, as the title suggests, two figure studies sketched roughly on top half, as well as a bird’s head occupying the lower portion of the paper. All the subjects seem disconnected. Editor: It’s an intriguing juxtaposition. The formal rigidity of the portraiture set against the unrefined, almost primal quality of the bird's head. Is there any documented symbolism relating the human figures and the fowl in this particular period? Curator: Breitner’s journals don't seem to explore symbolism in great detail. He's much more focused on conveying modern life as it is in the moment, unburdened by heavy historical references. These are very likely figures from his surroundings whom he may have sketched in public. The quick execution suggests the idea of something transient being caught on paper. Editor: So the meaning lies not in symbolism, but in the pure act of observing and capturing a fleeting moment. Look at the angle of the bird’s beak. It adds dynamism to the composition; even the lack of a completed body implies a kinetic energy of life caught still within this fragment. Curator: And perhaps even a reminder of the interconnectedness between the urban environment and the natural world? Breitner himself would later come to see beauty and symbolism in the horse; could he have similarly attributed certain emotional properties to the animals he rendered here? Editor: Regardless, the incompleteness invites projection. We fill in the narrative gaps, giving meaning to the stark juxtapositions using the composition alone. It's not just a portrait of figures and fauna but a raw meditation on the act of seeing itself. Curator: It seems as though even a sketch can provoke thought on our perceptions, reminding us of the weight held within a single pencil stroke. Editor: And a fresh angle, showing us that symbolism needn't always come pre-packaged with meaning: Sometimes we are the symbols.