Skating in Holland 1890

Editor: So, here we have Johan Barthold Jongkind's "Skating in Holland" from 1890, oil on canvas, and the scene has a definite chill in the air! The brushstrokes seem quick, capturing a fleeting moment. How would you interpret its overall composition and its effects? Curator: Focusing on purely formal elements, note the limited palette, predominantly grays and browns. The horizon line divides the canvas roughly in half, creating a stable, balanced composition. The dark windmills punctuate the skyline, establishing a rhythm against the subtle gradations of the sky. Editor: I see what you mean about the balanced composition; it’s stable, yes, but I think the muted colours add to that chilly atmosphere I mentioned. Do you see a progression in the values across the artwork's picture plane? Curator: Indeed, from the darker foreground, where we see the skaters, to the lighter background with the setting sun, a gradient which flattens space. The brushstrokes themselves are quite visible, almost gestural, contributing to a sense of movement and immediacy that almost dissolves form; Jongkind clearly sacrifices detailed realism in favour of atmospheric effect. Note also, the contrast between the implied texture of the snow and the smooth reflective surface of the ice. Editor: That makes sense; those compositional tensions really emphasize the character of the place itself. What I'm hearing is, Jongkind focused less on detail and more on conveying a specific atmospheric impression through form. Curator: Precisely. It’s a formal investigation into the properties of light, colour and texture within the confines of a landscape. What has been gained or lost via such means, in your view? Editor: I suppose in losing the tight realism we see in earlier Dutch painting, he gains a new sense of… airiness, or open-endedness of experience? Curator: An excellent way of putting it.