Schets van een paard en wagen 1871 - 1906

Pieter de Josselin de Jong created this sketch of a horse and wagon with pencil on paper. The pale blue-grey paper is mostly empty, yet it’s within this emptiness that the sketch finds its meaning. Notice the larger rectangular outline on the right containing the horse and wagon. De Jong has used light pencil strokes to capture the scene, rendering the forms almost abstract. These sparse lines do not define the image, rather the composition invites the viewer to complete the sketch and find the whole within the fragment. The negative space surrounding the drawing accentuates the incomplete nature of the lines, emphasizing the act of sketching itself, with a small separate sketch to the top left of the page. What is most compelling is the deconstruction of form. De Jong captures the movement and energy of the horse and wagon through the reduction of detail. This sketch reminds us that a work of art is not just about what is depicted, but also about how it is depicted. The incomplete form suggests a larger world, one that exceeds the boundaries of the paper.