Studieblad, mogelijk met een hond en een vrouw c. 1886 - 1890

George Hendrik Breitner created this sketch, possibly of a woman and a dog, sometime between 1880 and 1923. Breitner came of age during a time of industrial expansion in the Netherlands, which led to increased social stratification and class tensions that he depicted in his paintings of working-class neighborhoods. His focus on everyday life was very different from traditional landscape painting. Breitner had a distinctive style, and this sketch is part of a larger body of work which captured fleeting moments and urban scenes. Breitner was interested in representing modern life without idealizing it. He stated: "I am not a painter for people who want a pretty thing on the wall... I paint what I see and what touches me." Breitner captured authentic moments in the lives of ordinary people, revealing a world of social realities and personal experiences.