Schetsboek met 34 bladen 1881 - 1927

This sketchbook with 34 pages was crafted by Johan Antonie de Jonge at an unknown date. What gets me about this piece is its quietness, its plainness. It’s just a simple brown canvas stretched over cardboard, bound with burgundy leather. I find myself wondering what kind of marks it now holds. I think about the making of this object, someone stretching the canvas, carefully stitching the edges. You can see the texture of the canvas, that little grid, it almost feels like it’s breathing. The muted palette makes me think of a Morandi painting, that same soft, quiet, intensity. Look at the variations in tone, how they catch the light. I like to think of this sketchbook as a space for experimentation, for De Jonge to work out ideas. For me, sketchbooks are always such intimate objects. They show us the artist’s hand, their process. They remind us that art is not just about the finished product but about the journey, the making, the thinking. It's like Cy Twombly said, “The artist is the one who knows what he doesn't know.” Maybe this book helped him find out.