Nieuwe Teertuinen te Amsterdam, gezien vanaf de Sloterdijkbrug 1912 - 1919

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing, Nieuwe Teertuinen te Amsterdam, gezien vanaf de Sloterdijkbrug, with a pencil, and I love how immediate it feels. It's like catching a fleeting thought, a visual note jotted down in a hurry. Look at how Breitner uses these simple lines to create a whole world! It’s like he’s thinking through the image right in front of us. The texture of the paper becomes part of the scene, almost like the rough grit of the city itself. See the marks massing to the left side of the page? This creates areas of shadow. The right side of the work has only light strokes, giving the impression of light and air. This drawing reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbles, not in style, but in the sense of capturing a raw, unfiltered energy. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be polished and perfect, sometimes it’s the messy, imperfect moments that speak the loudest.