View in Amsterdam

George Hendrik Breitner's 'View in Amsterdam' (1901) is among his many informal views of the Dutch capital — his engagement with Amsterdam as a subject world extended beyond the famous canal views to include the less picturesque but equally specific aspects of the city's visual life. His approach of painting the city as he encountered it, rather than selecting only its most attractive views, gave his Amsterdam subjects an honest directness that distinguished them from more conventionally picturesque urban views.

Breitner renders the Amsterdam view with his characteristic informal directness — the specific urban scene observed without the compositional prettification that conventional urban views required. His handling of the Amsterdam light and atmosphere, the specific materials of the Dutch urban environment (brick, stone, canal water), and the quality of the observed moment give the view its particular character. His brushwork adapts to the specific requirements of the architectural and atmospheric subject.