Detailstudie, mogelijk van een landschap 1881 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this landscape study, probably with graphite, and the interesting thing is how little information there is, and how much your mind fills in. It's all about process, the layering of marks, the tentative searching. I love how the texture of the paper becomes part of the landscape, like the grain of the earth itself. The smudges and faint lines create a kind of atmospheric perspective, pushing the background further away. There's a cluster of darker marks on the left, maybe trees or a building, rendered with quick, scribbled lines. It's not about representation, but about the act of seeing and recording a fleeting impression. This reminds me a little of some of Twombly's sketchbook drawings, that same sense of capturing a thought in the moment, embracing the incomplete and the unresolved. It's a reminder that art isn't always about answers, sometimes it's about asking questions, and leaving space for the viewer to participate in the conversation.