Studie 1887 - 1889

This page of a sketchbook, by George Hendrik Breitner, is made up of graphite on paper. These are very traditional art materials, but the manner of their use here is unusual. The marks are fleeting, almost like shorthand. Quick notes, impressions jotted down, addresses scribbled, with thumbnail sketches of figures and street scenes. The texture of the paper is visible, and its absorbent surface interacts with the graphite. The artist uses these effects to imbue the image with a sense of dynamism and immediacy. The drawing seems to exist in a space between intention and accident. It provides insight into the working process of an artist deeply engaged with documenting everyday life in the rapidly changing industrial and urban landscapes of the late 19th century. Ultimately, this work invites us to reconsider the value we place on finished artworks, and to appreciate the beauty and significance of the creative processes that underpin them.