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Lot Essay
George Hendrik Breitner is, along with Isaac Israels (1865-1934) and Willem Witsen (1860-1923), one of the leading figures of the Amsterdam impressionist movement. As 'Le peintre du peuple’, he didn’t want to paint classical themes or make realistic historical paintings in an academic manner. Foremost he wanted to depict everyday life. Inspired by French naturalistic authors like Emile Zola (1840-1902) and the brothers de Goncourt, he believed the truth lays within the present, which would eventually become the history of the future. The present lot engages us in the concentrated moments of activity of common people, in line with what Breitner had formulated as his ambition in a letter from 28 March 1882 to his benefactor A.P. van Stolk (1822-1894): 'Ik zelf, ik zal de mensch schilderen op de straat en in de huizen, de straten en huizen, die ze gebouwd hebben, 't leven vooral. Le Peintre du Peuple zal ik trachten te worden of liever ben ik al, omdat ik het wil. Geschiedenis wilde ik schilderen en zal ik ook, maar de geschiedenis in haar uitgebreidsten zin. Een markt, een kaai, den rivier, een bende soldaten onder de gloeiende zon'.
Breitner was educated in both The Hague and Amsterdam and was an apprentice in the studio of Willem Maris (1844-1910), one of the leading painters of the Hague School. After permanently settling in Amsterdam in 1886, he was often found roaming through the city centre, and the bustling Dakrak in Amsterdam would become a recurring subject in his oeuvre. The fast developing city during the last quarter of the nineteenth century was a huge source of inspiration. Fascinated by the boisterous city, Breitner strolled through the streets with his sketchbook and camera to capture the daily lives of construction workers, labourers, maidservants and playing children. Along with his detailed sketches, his photographs can be seen as preliminary studies, which he would use in his studio and translate into paint.
The present lot is an outstanding and typical example of Amsterdam School impressionism, of which Breitner was the pioneer, and with its balanced composition, subtle harmony of greyish tones, form and superb brushwork, it displays the characteristic tension between impressionism and expression for which Breitner is so highly appreciated. The picture captures the passing of a horse-drawn cart on the Nieuwe Brug with women and children and with the Damrak beyond on a grey day. Breitner brilliantly translates a swiftly passing ordinary moment of street activity in a beautiful painterly unity of colour and form. The snapshot character of the scene reveals Breitner used a photo as the basis for this composition, while the subtle beauty of a typical moody day in Amsterdam is the inspiration for this painting. The canvas is dominated by grey light shining through the cloudy sky. Only few spots of colour in the moored canal boats, the red heads of the children and the yellow load on the cart enliven the scene. The rhythmic series of houses in the background border the picture. Breitner’s dark pallet and subtle composition create a beautiful sense of space. His cityscapes of Amsterdam - such as the present lot - were highly sought after and people flocked to buy these pieces.
Breitner was educated in both The Hague and Amsterdam and was an apprentice in the studio of Willem Maris (1844-1910), one of the leading painters of the Hague School. After permanently settling in Amsterdam in 1886, he was often found roaming through the city centre, and the bustling Dakrak in Amsterdam would become a recurring subject in his oeuvre. The fast developing city during the last quarter of the nineteenth century was a huge source of inspiration. Fascinated by the boisterous city, Breitner strolled through the streets with his sketchbook and camera to capture the daily lives of construction workers, labourers, maidservants and playing children. Along with his detailed sketches, his photographs can be seen as preliminary studies, which he would use in his studio and translate into paint.
The present lot is an outstanding and typical example of Amsterdam School impressionism, of which Breitner was the pioneer, and with its balanced composition, subtle harmony of greyish tones, form and superb brushwork, it displays the characteristic tension between impressionism and expression for which Breitner is so highly appreciated. The picture captures the passing of a horse-drawn cart on the Nieuwe Brug with women and children and with the Damrak beyond on a grey day. Breitner brilliantly translates a swiftly passing ordinary moment of street activity in a beautiful painterly unity of colour and form. The snapshot character of the scene reveals Breitner used a photo as the basis for this composition, while the subtle beauty of a typical moody day in Amsterdam is the inspiration for this painting. The canvas is dominated by grey light shining through the cloudy sky. Only few spots of colour in the moored canal boats, the red heads of the children and the yellow load on the cart enliven the scene. The rhythmic series of houses in the background border the picture. Breitner’s dark pallet and subtle composition create a beautiful sense of space. His cityscapes of Amsterdam - such as the present lot - were highly sought after and people flocked to buy these pieces.