Landschap c. 1901 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this landscape drawing sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. It's an intimate piece because it feels like you're looking over the shoulder of the artist as he is figuring things out. The sketch shows how an artist can get lost in the process of mark-making, you can feel the movement of the hand, the scratching, the back and forth. The tree on the left stands out; it's rendered with these firm, dark strokes that give it weight. But then, as you move across the paper, everything becomes lighter, more fleeting. I am reminded of the landscape drawings of Van Gogh, whose mark-making feels similarly unresolved. It is a reminder that art doesn't always have to be about perfect resolutions. Sometimes, it's about the joy of exploring and the beauty of the unfinished.