Schetsboek met 45 bladen c. 1901 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge created this sketchbook with 45 pages sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. It seems like such an ordinary object, doesn’t it? It’s easy to overlook sketchbooks, but for an artist they're like holding a piece of their mind. It is a neutral-colored, humble little book with a cloth cover that might be filled with incredible thoughts. I can imagine De Jonge walking around with this book tucked under his arm, making quick sketches of landscapes, people, or maybe just patterns that caught his eye. Each mark, each smudge, is like a little breadcrumb that hints at a moment of inspiration, a fleeting idea. You know, it makes me think about how much we rely on finished, polished pieces. There is something so intimate about seeing where an artist begins, where they play, where they aren’t afraid to mess up.