Studie, mogelijk van een wolkenlucht c. 1903

This is a graphite study, possibly of a cloudscape, by George Hendrik Breitner, held at the Rijksmuseum. The eye is immediately drawn to the dense clusters of charcoal lines, built up to create tonal variation and suggest depth. Linear marks, at times barely visible, fill the page and give the impression of an ethereal and shifting atmosphere. Breitner's sketch embodies a shift from traditional landscape art toward capturing fleeting moments and transient atmospheric effects. The structuralist viewpoint sees this not just as representation, but as a system of signs where charcoal strokes act as signifiers of cloud forms, light and shadow. The materiality of the graphite on paper contributes to a sense of immediacy, blurring the lines between the object and its representation. Note how the deliberate incompleteness of the drawing allows viewers to project their own experiences onto the artwork, thus destabilizing the idea of a fixed, singular meaning. This sketch engages with philosophical questions about perception and the nature of reality.