Twee vrouwen op de Dam te Amsterdam c. 1893s - 1903s

George Hendrik Breitner made this drawing of two women on Dam Square in Amsterdam using graphite, likely in a sketchbook, and look at how the looseness in the marks brings everything to life. The texture is really interesting here, isn’t it? Breitner’s lines are so quick, so gestural. You can almost feel the scratch of the graphite on the page. I find myself drawn to the lower figure, notice how the lines of the dress just sort of fade away, implying form rather than defining it. The marks are confident but not overworked, they capture the essence of movement and form without getting bogged down in details. It reminds me a bit of Degas' drawings, the way he captures figures in motion with such economy of line. Both artists share an interest in capturing fleeting moments of modern life. It makes you think about drawing as not just representation but as a record of a thought process, a dance between eye, hand, and subject.