Figuren in de Galgenstraat te Amsterdam 1907

This drawing, "Figuren in de Galgenstraat te Amsterdam" was made by George Hendrik Breitner. It's all about these quick, searching lines, isn’t it? Like the artist was trying to pin down a fleeting moment. You can almost feel Breitner there, charcoal in hand, quickly mapping out the scene before it disappears. I imagine him thinking about Manet, and all those other painters trying to catch real life as it happens. Those three figures, they’re not posing for anything. The artist is showing us something immediate, raw. Look at the strokes defining the back of that figure. See how they thicken and thin? That’s the kind of gesture that can tell you everything. Breitner wasn't trying to get it perfect, he was trying to get it real. You can imagine him working alongside other artists of the time, each pushing painting in new directions. It makes me think of my own process, trying to work out a gesture that feels like something truthful emerging on the canvas. It’s all about feeling and discovery.