Zittende figuur 1886 - 1923

George Hendrik Breitner created "Zittende figuur" with a dry medium, probably charcoal or graphite. Look at the immediacy of line! You sense the artist circling his subject, searching through it with his gaze. I imagine Breitner, in his studio, quickly mapping out this figure, trying to catch its fleeting essence, one line at a time. It’s all tentative, nothing is fixed, he’s building something into being. You can see how the charcoal clings to the tooth of the paper, the grain adding texture, a tactile dimension to the image. This reminds me of drawings by Klimt or Schiele, which have a similar quality of raw, expressive energy. These artists are all speaking to each other across time, aren’t they? Each one picks up on the gestures and ideas of the last, pushes the language of drawing in new and unexpected directions. To me, the best art is born from this conversation, this give and take, this willingness to embrace doubt, change one's mind, and start all over again.