Gezicht op een straat c. 1912

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of a street scene with graphite. It's wispy and kind of grey and brown. You can almost see him squinting as he draws. I like to think about what the artist was thinking when they made something. What was Breitner thinking, as he scribbled down this fleeting urban vision? It makes me think of Constable, sketching clouds like a madman, trying to capture the shifting skies. Breitner’s street isn't about details; it’s more about feeling the place, a moment in time. Look at how he uses these smudgy lines to create the buildings. There’s a sense of speed, like he’s trying to catch the essence of the street before it disappears. It reminds me that painting is all about finding new ways to see, not just copying what's already there.