Studie, mogelijk van de rug van een paard 1912 - 1919

This drawing, made by George Hendrik Breitner, possibly in the late 19th or early 20th century, using graphite on paper, is all about the artist working things out. It’s like catching him thinking aloud with a pencil. There’s a hesitant quality to the lines, a searching for the right form, which gives the drawing a real sense of immediacy. Look closely, and you can see how the lines thicken and fade, suggesting the pressure of his hand and the speed of his thought. The hatching marks on the side of the horse are like a code, a shorthand for volume and shadow. It reminds me a little of Degas, who also used drawing to capture fleeting moments and explore the hidden structures of things. But where Degas is all about elegance and poise, Breitner feels more raw, more urgent. It’s a reminder that art is not just about the finished product, but about the process of discovery, the ongoing conversation between the artist and the world.