Duinlandschap 1884 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge captured this landscape of dunes with pencil on paper; you can see the energy of the quick marks. For me, looking at a drawing like this is about appreciating the process, the artist's hand moving across the page. The texture is created entirely by line, varying in pressure to suggest depth and shadow. The density of marks in the foreground compared to the open sky shows the range achievable with such a simple medium. Notice the way De Jonge renders the grasses in the lower part of the composition, these lines become a code to represent a whole landscape. This piece reminds me a little of some of the sketchbooks of Van Gogh, in its immediacy and its focus on the landscape as a source of endless inspiration. What's interesting is how both artists, despite their different styles, found ways to convey so much with so little. It reminds us that art is not about perfection, but about seeing and feeling.