Gezicht op het Spaarne te Haarlem met de Sint-Bavokerk en figuurstudies c. 1903

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketchbook drawing, Gezicht op het Spaarne te Haarlem met de Sint-Bavokerk en figuurstudies, with pencil, and it's a flurry of movement. Imagine Breitner quickly capturing the essence of the Spaarne in Haarlem, the Sint-Bavokerk barely visible, figures sketched with an immediacy that feels so real. I love how he uses line – scratchy, searching, like he's thinking through the image right there on the page. It reminds me of my own process, the way I build up layers, erasures, adjustments. There’s a vulnerability in the unfinished quality, a directness that bypasses polish. You can almost feel the breeze off the water, the hustle of daily life. The rapid strokes capturing those figures—they’re not portraits, but studies in form and motion. What was he thinking as he drew these folks? Were they even there? I think this piece speaks to the idea that art is often a conversation between artists across time. It's not just about one way of seeing, but many!