Strandgezicht, mogelijk in Scheveningen c. 1901 - 1927

Johan Antonie de Jonge made this landscape of a beach, possibly Scheveningen, using graphite. Look at the marks, how they shift and emerge. A constant process of trial and error, but with an undeniable intuitive vision. I sympathize with De Jonge, standing there on the beach, squinting into the distance. What was he thinking? What was he feeling? It's a breezy day and he's trying to capture the scene, how the beach meets the sky. The graphite is laid down with great speed and confidence. Quick, almost scribbled lines. The lines become the texture, and the texture becomes the feeling. It's a beautiful, modest drawing that reminds me of so many other artists— Wayne Thiebaud and his landscapes, or the sketchbooks of Morandi. Artists are always in conversation, exchanging ideas, inspiring creativity across time. Painting is embodied expression, and the more we let go of fixed ideas, the more meaning we find.