Breitner’s depiction of this construction site is almost abstract. Diagonal lines intersect the horizontal and vertical accents, and culminate in a vanishing point in the top left corner. Ochres and browns dominate the palette. We look down on the scene from a high vantage point, surveying the foundation work in Amsterdam’s western harbour. In the background lies the River IJ. The opening of the North Sea Canal in 1876 had given the city direct access to the open sea. It led to a building boom in this part of the city. The warehouse built on the foundations depicted here by Breitner still stands today.