Slecht weer: waspitten on a bridge in Amsterdam

After moving to Amsterdam in 1886, Breitner immediatly started painting scenes of everyday citylife. Young working-class women on their way home from work was a frequent theme. The present painting clearly resembles the famous painting Regen en Wind of circa 1890, where three 'waspitten' (women working in a candle-factory) can be seen crossing an Amsterdam bridge (collection Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam). Breitner chose a low viewpoint for both paintings in order to create a distinct contrast between the faces of the figures and the bright sky. The disregard for detail in favour of colour and impressions was much appreciated by his fellow artists, but not by most critics at the time. The composition of the present lot suggests the influence of photography because the figures pass by as in a snap shot.

In a review on the exhibition in The Hague of 1947, the artcritic W.J. de Gruyter wrote the following concerning the present lot: "Prachtig heeft hij soms 't leven vooral uitgebeeld in het zware donkere gaan van een paar volksvrouwen langs een gracht of over een brug, men zie o.a. het machtig nr 62 [the present lot]." ('Breitner in het Gemeentemuseum, De Volkskrant, 1947.)