Wolkenlucht boven een gebouw, mogelijk Nieuwe Teertuinen 33 c. 1898 - 1914

Here's George Hendrik Breitner, maybe in Amsterdam, with pencil in hand, drawing a cloudscape over a building. Look at the marks he makes. They're searching, tentative, almost like he's feeling his way through the air. I wonder, was he trying to capture the fleeting nature of clouds, how they morph and shift, or was he more interested in the solid presence of the building below? Maybe both! The building looks wonky, but he was probably more interested in getting the volume right. I love how simple it is—just a few lines, but they manage to convey so much. You can almost feel the breeze and the movement of the clouds. It reminds me of Constable's cloud studies, or even some of Twombly’s more gestural drawings, all artists in conversation, trying to capture something ineffable. It's a reminder that even a quick sketch can be a powerful expression of seeing and feeling.