Annotaties c. 1886 - 1903

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, Annotaties, using graphite on paper. It's held here at the Rijksmuseum. Breitner was part of a generation of artists in the Netherlands who were determined to capture modern life, and the working conditions and economics of that life. We see in this piece a variety of notes, perhaps about expenses, perhaps about his work. The writing is rapid, as though these were jotted down in the moment. In the late 19th century, the Netherlands was changing rapidly, with increasing industrialization and growing cities, so we can contextualize this drawing through reference to sources about that time period. The kinds of calculations that we see in the drawing might be cross-referenced against the artist's journals and letters, and these in turn can be researched through access to the museum's archives. It speaks to the economic and social realities of the time.