Studie 1883 - 1885

George Hendrik Breitner made this study with graphite on paper. It is a sketch, an exercise in mark-making. The inherent qualities of paper – its texture, weight, and color – all contribute to the work's subtle appearance. Breitner’s light strokes imbue the work with a sense of immediacy. The artist engaged with skilled traditions of draftsmanship, but his sketch doesn't belong to the histories of creative practices and aesthetics of fine arts. It’s an intimate and casual moment made with humble materials. The process involved in creating this study is quick, in contrast to that of academic painting. The graphite marks evoke a wider social issue of labor, suggesting the contrast of production and the amount of work involved in the process, raising the issue of traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.