Studie c. 1895 - 1898

Curator: George Hendrik Breitner created this graphite drawing on paper, titled "Studie," sometime between 1895 and 1898. It’s currently housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first impression is that this is so fleeting! It almost disappears before you can grasp it. Just a whisper of a scene in graphite. Curator: Indeed, its evocative, ephemeral quality certainly captures the spirit of Impressionism, doesn't it? There's a haziness in how it’s rendered; it speaks volumes despite being rather minimal. Editor: Well, I see something very different. I think what grabs me is the obvious act of *making* that's right there on the surface. We can really sense the artist engaging with the paper; how quickly they must have worked to get these lines down. It’s such raw process. Curator: That raw process contributes significantly to its symbolic power, I'd argue. Consider the era, the shift in thinking… Here, we see abstraction as a nascent symbolic language—not just representing reality, but exploring the artist’s emotional engagement. What emotional response does this elicit from you? Editor: I can’t say emotion. It makes me consider the social space of the studio and of drawing. Was it for his eyes only, a private space for experimentation? A piece for sale, with financial intent? I really want to know more about the type of paper used, the grade of graphite, and so on. Curator: Those details ground us in the reality of the artwork’s production. However, think about how Breitner was part of a larger movement – seeking freedom of expression in a rapidly changing world. This drawing symbolizes not just what's on the surface, but the *feeling* of that shifting reality. Editor: I suppose that I understand the abstraction might reflect the flux of society, even a resistance to clear structures – artistic as well as social. I hadn't quite considered it that way. Curator: Exactly. It pushes boundaries. Now I consider its cultural continuity and find new symbols, ideas. Thank you for helping bring it to life again through materiality. Editor: And thank you for highlighting how physical elements give life to what often stays veiled to us.