Dear reader, I know everything is incredibly hard, and I am absolutely here with you. I hope we can feel empowered to share our stories when and if we are ready.
For now, however, I’ve been taking breaks to go way back.
I thought we could take a tiny moment away from what is scary right now, for a little vintage beef. Some ridiculous old painters do the trick for me, so let’s hit it.
George Hendrik Breitner was alive for the tail end of the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th. Known for his realistic style, Breitner painted en plein air–French for “outdoors.” Sexy, no? And brave. You know that 19th century plein air was still pretty stinky.
He painted street life–particularly the women of the Jordaan district. Breitner would request that girls and women from the “lower classes” pose for his nude paintings, of which there are many. He takes a particular interest in two of his models, sisters Lise and Marie Jordan. He marries Marie eventually–a story that is, of course, a movie waiting to be made. Probably starring Keira Knightley. Probably really boring but worth it for the sex scenes.
Breitner saw himself as “le peintre du peuple”, French for, “I’m just like you. It’s totally cool to take your shirt off.” Breitner’s nudes were brutally criticised (hard relate) as they were painted too realistically. Much like Rembrandt’s, Breitner’s nudes did not resemble the common ideal of beauty (actual goddesses) and his critics deemed his work a moral failing. Naked bodies of real women weren’t art to Breitner’s critics–to them, he was making amature porn. But hey, some people are super into that. He was finding his audience, and I respect that.
What’s more, Breitner had public beef. He came into contact with Van Gogh in 1882, when they sketched together in the “lower class” districts of The Hague. Breitner, ever the painter of the common folk, felt uneasy when Van Gogh’s primary interest in these neighborhoods was recruiting models. Though massively hypocritical, this marked the beginning of their feud.
When Breitner was hospitalised in April of that year, Van Gogh visited him. Breitner did not return the favor when Van Gogh himself was hospitalised two months later. Van Gogh clapped back at this obvious snub, giving an absolutely savage account of Breitner’s paintings, describing them as “resembling mouldy wallpaper.”
Mouldy wallpaper. A brutal hit to the ego.
Breitner would get the final jab however, saying of Van Gogh’s work after his death, “I cannot enjoy it. I honestly find it coarse and distasteful, without any distinction, and what’s more, he has stolen it all from Millet and others.”
The heat from this burn can still be felt in certain regions of The Netherlands.
Dear reader, there’s no moral here. Just some dead painters clapping back.
I hope you’re well. I know things are so hard.
I am here if you need me.
X.
Girl Seeking Peanut Butter 