Paard en een schip Possibly 1907 - 1911

This sketchbook drawing, "Paard en een schip", by George Hendrik Breitner, captures a horse and ship with quick, fluid marks. I imagine Breitner, out in the world with his sketchbook, capturing what’s in front of him with a sense of urgency. Look at the economy of line; he’s not fussy, he’s direct. See how those lines, light and dark, hatch and cross? He is feeling his way around the forms. The horse on the left feels grounded with the shading around it. But the ship on the right is less defined, existing as a series of lines floating in space. Maybe Breitner was interested in the contrast between these two objects, the solid animal and the weightless vessel. Painting is about seeing, and drawing, like this, is such a direct and honest way of seeing. It is an ongoing conversation of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.