IJspret op de bevroren vijver in het Haagse Bos 1874 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge created this drawing of ice skaters in the Hague with graphite and crayon on paper. These are accessible, everyday materials. The artist uses them to render a scene of middle-class leisure, in what was then a rapidly industrializing country. Look closely and you will see that the graphite gives definition to the figures, while the subtle hues of crayon convey the cold light of a winter afternoon. The texture of the paper itself adds to the sense of atmosphere, and the visible strokes of the crayon reveal the artist's hand at work, rapidly capturing a fleeting moment in time. But consider also what is not shown. Where are the factories, the crowded workers' housing, the social divisions that made this scene of leisure possible? By focusing on the pleasures of the middle class, de Jonge offers us a glimpse into a specific social world, one defined by both opportunity and exclusion. This prompts us to think about the social context that always surrounds even the simplest of images, and how materials and making are always intertwined with wider social issues.