George Hendrik Breitner 1857-1923

Kunsthandel C.M. van Gogh, Amsterdam, inv.no. 1122 
Acquired by the grandfather of the present owners, thence by descent

The panel is solid and straight, in excellent condition.
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Within the group of Amsterdam Impressionists, George Hendrik Breitner was the only painter to develop a serious interest in the depiction of the female nude. From the early 1880's onwards, he painted several nudes that remain unique to Dutch art. Breitner's expressive and non-idealised depiction of the female nude meant an outright attack on the academic standards. Whereas many contemporary viewers considered Breitner's nudes a severe danger to public morality, the younger, progressive generation of writers and painters associated with De Nieuwe Gids praised his work as a highlight of Amsterdam Impressionism. The painter and art critic Jan Veth, confronted with Breitner's nudes at an exhibition in Arti, exclaimed in sheer admiration: 'What a painter! What a daring and skill, as no one before possessed. Manet with his bold, frank vision has, in my opinion, never painted like this. Breitner is completely free of pedantry, doesn't show off with easy tricks, he is never deliberate in his art. He paints, self-evidently, with a pure inborn royal power' (quoted from De Amsterdammer, 8-9 February 1891). What appealed most to these progressive critics was Breitner's daring impressionist style, sometimes crossing the border of unfinishedness. Breitner's highly personal brushwork visualised the quest for the expression of individualistic emotions. As such, it is perfectly in tune with the naturalism of Emile Zola and the brothers De Goncourt, writers the artist admired greatly. 

The present intimate painting is a particularly good example of both the artist's interest in the female nude and his daring impressionist brushwork.