Landschap 1881 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this landscape drawing with charcoal, and you can really sense the way he worked the material. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, you know? The smudgy blacks and grays, they're like a moody whisper. Look closely, and you can almost feel the grit of the charcoal on the paper. See how he's built up the texture in the sky with these layered, scribbly marks? It's like he's trying to capture the feeling of a storm brewing. There's one spot in the lower right corner where the charcoal is really thick, almost like a little pile of dust. That little patch, it kind of grounds the whole scene for me. De Jonge reminds me a bit of Corot, but with a darker edge. It's like he's inviting us to get lost in the landscape, but also warning us that it might not be so peaceful after all.