Vrouw c. 1886 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, Vrouw, with pencil, which you can see at the Rijksmuseum. It’s interesting to think about drawings, because they are often the start of something else, a painting or a sculpture perhaps, but sometimes they can just exist as drawings. Here, the lines are like whispers, aren't they? Very light and sketchy, as if Breitner was trying to capture a fleeting moment. The bottom is darker, more smudged, like shadows or something unresolved. I love the way the pencil is used to create different textures – some parts are soft and hazy, while others are more defined. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the paper, deciding what to emphasize and what to leave to the imagination. It feels very personal and intimate. This makes me think of other artists like Degas, who also used drawing to capture everyday moments. It's like a visual diary, full of observations and experiments. And that's the beauty of art – it's always a conversation.