Annotaties 1895 - 1898

Curator: Right now, we're looking at George Hendrik Breitner's "Annotaties," dating from around 1895 to 1898. It's a work on paper, rendered in watercolor. Editor: Hmm, my first impression is quiet vulnerability. It reminds me of the delicate, almost ephemeral, beauty found in decaying ephemera. I immediately think it looks like a ghost in a school notebook. Curator: Yes, the materiality really speaks to the process. The visible lined paper underneath the washes challenges that traditional notion of a perfect surface. The labor here isn’t about hiding the understructure but exposing the support system of making. Editor: Precisely! It’s as if he's saying, "Here, look at the working brain," and this appeals to me immensely. Breitner isn’t precious; there’s a refreshing lack of artistic vanity on display. What seems unintentional almost speaks volumes about fleeting thought, about the rapid annotation of a memory before it disappears. Curator: Exactly! This relates directly to Impressionism as a movement where you had quick documentation capturing the essence of moments in real time rather than striving for perfect accuracy as some Academic painters were aiming to do. Editor: Do you think the subtle greys and creams indicate an internal emotional restraint, almost reflective of Dutch Calvinistic restraint in daily life, of denying oneself intense emotion? Curator: Well, Dutch art was impacted by society. We can consider that his choice of mundane materials democratized art, reflecting societal values where functionality held more worth. Editor: True. In a broader scope, looking at how societal values such as that get injected directly into these physical art decisions helps us see how the artwork is a direct representation and extension of daily cultural values, don’t you agree? Curator: It all circles back to the interaction of societal constructs with artist choices... Fascinating how just some watercolor on lined paper evokes so much. Editor: It really is something. It stays with you.