Looiersgracht te Amsterdam, gezien vanuit de Marnixstraat 1907

George Hendrik Breitner captured this view of Looiersgracht in Amsterdam with charcoal on paper. It feels like a page torn right from the artist’s sketchbook! There's this nervous energy in the marks, a dance between wanting to capture the scene and letting the hand just kind of wander. I imagine Breitner standing there, maybe a bit chilly, quickly trying to get down the essence of the buildings before the light changed or his fingers went numb. You can almost see him squinting, deciding which lines to commit to and which to let fade into the background. The charcoal is applied with varying pressure, creating depth and shadow, though the architectural structure is clear. It reminds me of some of Philip Guston's more representational drawings, where the subject matter peeks through the abstract gestures. It shows that even in the most straightforward subject, there’s room for that personal, scribbly touch! It’s like he’s saying, “Here’s Amsterdam, but here’s also *me*, seeing Amsterdam.”