GH Breitner: Bridge over the Singel near Paleisstraat in Amsterdam, ca. 1897; Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam

Last week we spoke about photography inspired by painting, today I’d like to shine my light on a Dutch artist who heavily used photographs as a basis for his paintings: George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923). Breitner originated from Rotterdam, but soon moved to Amsterdam where he led a typical artistic or ‘bohémien’ life. He used to stroll through the streets of Amsterdam, capturing the city and its daily life of around 1900 in sketches and photographs.The influence of photography on Breitner’s paintings is noticeable in this canvas from circa 1897, Bridge over the Singel near Paleisstraat in Amsterdam.
One of the novelties that the developments in photography had introduced was the snapshot, with its characteristic framing where people, buildings and objects are not placed ‘orderly’ into the picture, but cut off at the borders of the frame. This is clearly visible in Breitner’s lively painting of a crowded street scene. The effect is that we as spectators seem to be right in the middle of the scene.
Breitner’s saw himself as a ‘peintre du peuple’. He wanted his works to give impressions not of the rich and famous, but of ordinary people. This self-proclaimed title might prove somewhat deceiving if we consider the story behind this painting. When Breitner exhibited it for the first time, the foreground did not show the well-off lady that is now so prominent, but a poor workman. As the painting received much criticism for it’s ‘rough’ appearance, one of Breitner’s friends advised him to replace the man with the more stylish woman, which he did.