Rokin in Amsterdam, gezien naar het Muntplein c. 1900 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of the Rokin in Amsterdam, looking towards Muntplein, using what appears to be graphite on paper. Look at how Breitner builds form with such economy; the marks are quick, decisive, and the hatching feels almost architectural. The texture of the paper plays a big role here, doesn’t it? It's not just a passive surface but an active participant, catching the graphite and adding a kind of broken visual noise that enlivens the whole thing. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the page, mapping the scene with this shorthand of lines and smudges. See the way he renders the buildings? They're not precise, but they capture the essence of the architecture. It reminds me a little of some of Guston’s looser, more chaotic drawings. Breitner, like many artists, was interested in capturing the feeling of modern life, and these sketches offer such a direct line to that pursuit. It celebrates the beauty found in the everyday, reminding us that art is an ongoing process of seeing, thinking, and feeling.