Studie, mogelijk van paarden in een landschap 1884 - 1886

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch, perhaps of horses in a landscape, using graphite. Breitner was a Dutch painter known for his gritty depictions of Amsterdam and his affinity for capturing movement. This sketch is a great example of how artists like Breitner would use preliminary studies to experiment with composition and form, a common practice among artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The sketch is rapid and economical, typical of the Impressionist-era drive to record fleeting moments. Breitner uses the bare minimum of lines and shading to capture the potential energy of the scene. Studying the social history of art involves digging into artists' methods through their notes, letters, and preliminary sketches. This kind of research gives insight into not only the individual's process, but also the institutional conventions around the making of art.