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Lot description
Yellow riders resting by their horses, signed 'G.H. Breitner' (lower right), oil on canvas, 62,5x100 cm, Literature:-P.H. Hefting, ‘G.H. Breitner in zijn Haagse tijd’, Proefschrift Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, 1970, ill. no. 91. Provenance:-Auction, C.F. Roos & Cie, Amsterdam, 5 April 1892, lot 14. -Collection J.H.C. Heyse; His auction, Frederik Muller & Co. Amsterdam, 29 April 1914, lot 37. -Collection H.A.J. Stenger, The Hague, 1943. -Auction, Sotheby Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 28 October 1980, lot 181. -Auction, Sotheby Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 17 November 1981, lot 220. -With Kunsthandel E.J. van Wisselingh & Co, Haarlem, 1999. -With Van Voorst van Beest Gallery, The Hague (label attached to the stretcher).-Private collection Jan Sierhuis (1928-2023). Please compare to a painting by the artist with a similar composition in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. SK-A-3583.Please also compare to a smaller painting, possibly a study for the current painting, sold at: Auction, AAG, Amsterdam, 2 December 2019, lot 146. From an early age, George Hendrik Breitner (1857–1923) was fascinated by military subjects. His early sketchbooks are filled with vivid scenes of soldiers and their horses, many inspired by contemporary conflicts such as the Austro-Prussian and the Franco-German wars. Often drawing from illustrated reports in newspapers and magazines of these events, Breitner developed a keen eye for the energy and dynamism of cavalry scenes. His skill in capturing these scenes even earned him a place among the artists recruited by Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831–1915) to work on the Panorama van Scheveningen, where Breitner was specifically tasked with painting the cavalry.Breitner’s engagement with military themes, however, was not driven by nationalism or a desire to glorify war. On the contrary, his depictions often focused on soldiers in quiet moments of rest and reflection, far removed from the chaos of battle. The current painting is a striking example of such a scene. A group of Yellow Riders – members of the Dutch Horse Artillery Regiment, nicknamed for their ochre-yellow uniforms – stand beside their horses in a wooded clearing. The low-hanging sky, bent trees, and alert posture of the horses evoke a subtle tension, as though action is imminent.Both horses and Yellow Riders occupy a central place in Breitner’s work. Far from mere props, the horses are rendered with power and presence. In this painting, the horses appear tense and uneasy – their ears pinned back, their bodies ready to move. Breitner captures their energy and mass with bold, painterly brushstrokes, focusing on atmosphere. His approach was intuitive and dynamic, opposed to the polished academic style.He approached the riders with the same painterly freedom. Although he was not particularly interested in the uniforms for their symbolic value, he did see them as opportunities to explore contrasts of light and shadow, composition, and movement. Some of Breitner’s cavalry scenes – especially those in which the riders charge directly at the viewer – were seen as confronting or intense. In contrast, the riders in this composition are waiting, either after exertion or just before, offering a moment of pause.With this painting, Breitner demonstrates not only his mastery of light and movement, but also his ability to capture the quiet strength of the moment. Through brushstroke and mood, Breitner transforms a fleeting scene into a moment of introspection and presence.