Blond meisje 1885 - 1927

Editor: Here we have Johan Antonie de Jonge's "Blond Meisje", made sometime between 1885 and 1927. It's a delicate piece, mostly pencil and watercolor on paper. I'm really struck by the sense of melancholy; it's there in her downturned gaze and the muted colors. What do you make of this drawing? Curator: Melancholy, yes, but I also feel a certain serenity. It’s a captured moment of quiet introspection, isn't it? And De Jonge… well, he really allows the fluidity of the watercolor to do a lot of the talking. It reminds me of those fleeting feelings of adolescence, that tender awkwardness. Do you see how the loose lines almost suggest she is still forming, still becoming? Editor: I do see that! Like she is still finding her way in the world. I was wondering, though, is this work of art 'finished'? Should the artist keep working on it to refine the shape and give it greater details? Curator: Now there's a thought! But it is a question, isn't it, what we deem 'finished'. The beauty here is the suggestion, the implication, and the open possibility of where these wispy lines might go. Personally, I’d be frightened of over-working the piece and losing the emotional delicacy. Don't you think that there’s a rawness to it, a sincerity that is often lost with perfection? Editor: Absolutely, that makes perfect sense! It feels incredibly intimate, like we're peeking into a private moment, or seeing an early iteration of a grander project. Thanks for sharing your insights; it really opened my eyes to what De Jonge might have been aiming for. Curator: And thank you. It is works like this, those quiet observations, that always stick with me…they have a poetry all their own.