Vrouw met kinderen aan de Overtoom te Amsterdam 1906

This drawing of a woman and children in Amsterdam was made by George Hendrik Breitner using pencil on paper. Look at those dark, searching lines! You can almost feel Breitner trying to catch a glimpse of something fleeting, maybe a mother’s gesture or a child’s quick movement. I imagine him, standing there, charcoal in hand, squinting at the light. He’s trying to capture the essence of the scene with just a few strokes. You know, there's something so honest about a sketch like this. It’s not trying to be perfect. It reminds me of other sketchers like Daumier, whose spontaneous observations feel so real. And just like them, Breitner reminds us that painting is an ongoing conversation. It’s about seeing, feeling, and letting those impressions guide your hand. It’s about embracing the messy, uncertain process of making something new.