Batavia 1868

Johan Barthold Jongkind created this etching, Batavia, using a plate to transfer the image onto paper. The composition is dominated by a cluster of windmills receding into the distance, each rendered with a delicate network of lines. The windmills, symbols of Dutch industry and ingenuity, are framed by an expansive sky, sketched with wispy clouds that suggest movement and atmosphere. These dynamic lines contrast with the stillness of the frozen landscape, where we see figures skating across the ice. Jongkind masterfully manipulates line and space. The precise, controlled lines of the windmills give way to a more gestural, almost impressionistic treatment of the sky and landscape. This contrast creates a dynamic tension, destabilizing the traditional landscape by focusing on atmospheric effects. Consider how this emphasis on line and atmosphere reflects the broader artistic concerns of the time, where artists began to explore the subjective experience of the world, capturing fleeting moments and the interplay of light and shadow.