Studies, waaronder figuurstudies c. 1906 - 1923

Curator: Breitner's "Studies, waaronder figuurstudies," dating from around 1906 to 1923, offers a compelling peek into the artist’s working process. Editor: There’s such immediacy to these sketches, like catching a fleeting thought. It reminds me of a slightly unfocused dream, all suggestions and hints. Curator: Indeed. What you are perceiving is that the means of production here are laid bare. This drawing, done with pencil on paper, prioritizes functionality. The sketchbook, as a repository of on-the-fly studies, rejects notions of high art in favour of capturing ideas in their rawest state. It blurs the lines between the preparatory process and the artwork itself. Editor: The figure in the bottom right looks almost wistful, lost in thought or about to say something profound. The more architectural sketches higher on the page, those linear forms create a sense of grounding. There's this interplay of introspection and the structured world that's really striking, it hints at tensions that would define much of early 20th century experience. Curator: These apparent dualities speak directly to the social contexts that informed Breitner’s art. Amsterdam was in throes of immense industrialization at this point. Look closely: are those windows sketched in rapid succession? Perhaps they are representative of urban architecture. Consider then that Breitner's labor, the artistic work of sketching, directly interfaces with that material reality. Editor: And it all leads to wonder about the other unseen sketches. This glimpse of Breitner's thought processes allows for so many intimate moments. Each scrawled line is heavy with artistic promise, heavy with narrative implication... almost daunting when thinking what may emerge through labour! Curator: The physical nature of the sketchbook, its pages filled with ideas, represents artistic labor. Its materials connect directly with this creation— Breither would buy sketchbooks at such-and-such rate, from this vendor. The materials speak of what art actually *costs*. Editor: Precisely. Next time I pass an artist in the street sketching I will give the man something. Curator: To witness such work firsthand offers valuable insight and also raises a good many more questions, but about this specific case, thank you for engaging with the material implications found here.