Studieblad met figuren bij paarden, gezichten en een hond 1887 - 1889

Editor: This is "Studieblad met figuren bij paarden, gezichten en een hond," a pen and ink drawing on paper by George Hendrik Breitner, made between 1887 and 1889. It feels like peering into the artist’s mind, a collection of fleeting ideas. What captures your attention most when you look at it? Curator: It's a glimpse, isn't it? Like catching Breitner in a moment of pure observation. These aren't finished portraits, but lively sketches, raw impressions captured with quick strokes. Imagine him in a bustling cafe, jotting down faces, the curve of a horse's neck, a dog lazing in the sun. There's a kind of restless energy, wouldn't you say? As if the world is too full of interesting things to stay still. Does it make you want to pick up your own sketchbook and join in? Editor: Absolutely! The immediacy is inspiring. The horses in particular, they feel so dynamic, even in just a few lines. Curator: It is about capturing movement, a slice of life. I find myself wondering about these figures. What stories do they hold? Were they real people, or fragments of Breitner's imagination taking shape on paper? Editor: I hadn’t considered the fictional aspect. It makes the sketchbook feel more personal and reveals the complexity of the image. Curator: Indeed, Breitner wasn't simply recording what he saw; he was transforming it through his own artistic lens. The beauty is not so much in the perfection of form but in the feeling evoked. Editor: This piece feels almost like a stream of consciousness. It's taught me to value the beauty in the unfinished, the potential in the simple sketch. Curator: And perhaps to embrace the chaos, the multitude of impressions vying for our attention. Life, after all, is rarely a perfectly composed painting, is it?