Gele Rijders van de artillerie te paard c. 1890 - 1910

Editor: This gelatin-silver print, "Gele Rijders van de artillerie te paard" by George Hendrik Breitner, likely taken between 1890 and 1910, captures riders on horseback. I’m immediately struck by its blurred, almost ghostly quality – it’s as if they’re moving too fast to be truly captured. What's your take on this piece? Curator: Oh, Breitner! He was captivated by the energy of Amsterdam, the pulse of modern life, and you see that rendered so beautifully here, even in monochrome. The blur, you mentioned – that’s no accident! It’s intentional. He was wrestling with capturing movement in a static medium, much like the Impressionist painters were grappling with light. The 'snapshot aesthetic' he embraced lends immediacy. Does it remind you of anything else? Perhaps some of Degas' racing scenes, perhaps? Editor: Yes, now that you mention it, I see a similarity with the race horses of Degas. Both capturing fleeting moments. What do you make of the riders themselves, almost indistinguishable? Curator: Precisely! Breitner is less interested in portraying individual soldiers and more focused on capturing the dynamic essence of their movement, the rhythm of their horses as they pound along the earth. They are representative rather than individual. The blurring also evokes a sense of speed that a sharp image wouldn’t. Also note that he worked from photographs and paintings alike. Did you know he was accused by some contemporaries for not even making "real" art? What an absurd notion now! Editor: So he was quite radical for his time! That really changes how I see the image. Thanks, I'll be pondering that. Curator: It was my pleasure! And me too, what a reminder that even now, it pays to always question what “art” should be.