Compositiestudies c. 1903

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch, titled ‘Compositiestudies,’ sometime during his career. Breitner lived and worked in Amsterdam during a period of rapid urbanization and social change, and he was known for his gritty depictions of city life and for his interest in the lives of ordinary people. Here, we see a sketch of a woman, possibly nude, with a rectangular space nearby. Breitner lived in a time when women’s roles were highly circumscribed, and so it's interesting to consider the context of a male artist sketching a female figure. The representation of women, particularly working-class women, was a theme that resonated with the social and political concerns of the time. While Breitner was criticized for his seemingly unromantic approach, his work opens a window onto the intimate and often unseen aspects of life at the time. It allows us to reflect on the complex dynamics of identity, representation, and the artist's role in capturing the nuances of a changing society.