Twee vrouwen met fietsen op een brug 1881 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this drawing of two women with bikes on a bridge, but when? It's a mystery! There's this lovely, almost tentative quality in the marks, like the artist is feeling out the scene as he goes. You can sense the process. Look at the way the blue seeps into the dark water beneath the bridge. It's not overworked, it's like he's letting the colors breathe. I keep coming back to the bridge itself. The lines are kinda scratchy and uneven, and the colors are muted, like aged brick. There's a sense of place there, but it's also abstracted, like a memory. De Jonge, like Vuillard, is interested in evoking atmosphere, and isn't so concerned with detail. It invites you to linger, to imagine.