Zeegezicht c. 1920

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this drawing of a seascape with pencil and watercolour. Look at the smudgy marks, laid down one after the other in horizontal sweeps. I can imagine him at the shore with his sketchbook, squinting at the horizon! What was it like to stand there in front of the vast expanse of water, trying to capture it on paper? The sea seems to blend into the sky here. There are no details, just the essence of a seascape. You can almost smell the salt and feel the damp air. There's a real sense of intimacy here, like you're looking into the artist’s mind. It is a raw, honest expression, a kind of meditation on nature. Drawing like this reminds me that art-making is about capturing the feeling of a moment. I'm reminded of Turner's seascapes, and the way he used watercolour to create these atmospheric and moody scenes. We painters, we’re all in conversation with each other, across time.