Drie figuurstudies

This sketch of three figures was made by George Hendrik Breitner using graphite or charcoal on paper. You can see Breitner’s thinking process here, the way he’s feeling out the forms. It’s all about the gesture, the bare minimum to suggest a figure in space. The marks are light and quick, almost like he's trying to catch a fleeting moment, or maybe just warming up. Look at the smudges and the incomplete lines, the way the figures are suggested rather than fully drawn. There’s an urgency in the marks, like he’s trying to capture something before it disappears. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's drawings, the way he uses scribbles and gestures to create a sense of movement and energy. Ultimately, these "Drie figuurstudies," are less about capturing a likeness and more about capturing a feeling, a sense of movement and life.