Figuren op het strand c. 1920

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this drawing, "Figuren op het strand," with charcoal and maybe some chalk. Look how he builds up the scene, like layers of atmosphere, starting from the bottom and pulling upwards. It feels like a fleeting moment, doesn't it? The kind where you're not quite sure what you're seeing, more like a half remembered dream. De Jonge isn't trying to give us all the answers; it’s about feeling the air, the dampness. Notice how the strokes vary, thick and confident in the foreground and hazy above. There's a part near the middle where the strokes become almost scribbled, like he’s searching for the right form or just releasing energy onto the page. It reminds me of James Ensor. Art isn't about capturing reality perfectly; it's about capturing a feeling. It’s about being in that space of ambiguity, where interpretation is free to play.