Figuurstudies 1898 - 1902

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch, titled Figuurstudies, sometime between 1880 and 1923. Breitner was known for his gritty, urban scenes of Amsterdam. These figure studies are quick, intimate, and raw. They offer a glimpse into Breitner’s artistic process, and perhaps into his personal life. The sketches might have been studies of sex workers, whom he sometimes painted. In Amsterdam at the time, class and gender created a complex dynamic in which the lives of marginalized women were often hidden in plain sight. Breitner’s work often captured that tension. Breitner once said he aimed to capture "the appearance of a moment." In this study he reveals the fleeting, informal moments of everyday life, while prompting us to consider the social dynamics inherent in the act of observation.