Zelfportret van George Hendrik Breitner met schets c. 1880 - 1923

This self-portrait with sketch by George Hendrik Breitner is at the Rijksmuseum and made with graphite. It's a diptych really, a portrait sketch sits to the left, and a scene to the right, both in the same muted tones. Look at that portrait, the face almost fades into the background, like he's trying to disappear into the page. There's an honesty to it, a rawness in the marks that speak to the immediacy of the moment. You can almost see the artist's hand moving across the paper. The sketchy marks, they're not trying to hide anything, they embrace the imperfections. Now, shift your gaze to the scene on the right; there are so many lines and shapes. How do these separate sketches work together? Think of artists like Luc Tuymans, in the way Breitner finds beauty in the everyday. It’s a quiet conversation, a back-and-forth between artist and subject, a dance of marks on paper. It's an open invitation to see the world with fresh eyes.