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Lot Essay
As the artist grew up around Maassluis near the water, the boats and the damp climate of the Low Countries drew Jongkind and inspired him. The ever changing clouds and the fog covered landscape, the movement of ships and the changing of the seasons were a constant challenge and source of inspiration. Jongkind lived the largest part of his life in France, however he has also lived a couple of years in Rotterdam and visited his home country numerous times. The present lot dates from 1868. The period between 1860 and 1875 is considered to be the most important period in the artist's creative life. In colour, texture and atmosphere it includes every element of the renowned artist's creative hand.
In the period 1855-1860 the artist lived in Rotterdam and was said to have led a debauched life there. His work didn't suffer noticeably and through the French art dealer Martin his work found its way back to Paris. Martin would be instrumental in bringing the artist back to France. He organized an auction and ninety artists contributed work to raise funds for the return of their friend. At first Jongkind was hesitant to go back and was afraid of bad reviews and the criticism that had driven him away the first time. Martin took him in at first and later he met his companion, Josephine Fresser. She took care of him and provided him with the ideal circumstances for a productive artistic career. He chose his subjects on the banks of the Seine and in other picturesque old quarters of Paris, on the sea coast of Normandy and on the Dutch canals. Refused at the Salon of 1863, he joined in the Salon des Refusés, and made the acquaintance of Claude Monet. His rendering of atmosphere and his study of fleeting effects of light and reflections made him a pioneer of Impressionism. Though his oil pictures were not painted directly from nature, and are carefully arranged compositions, his drawings and watercolours were done out of doors.
He loved to sketch after nature and was drawn to water. Later on in his studio he would translate these preliminary drawings and first impressions into paint. The vivid depiction of the light’s reflection on the water is one of Jongkind’s biggest talents. The robust strokes of his brush and his subtle atmospherically colour pallet were well appreciated by his colleagues. Along with Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Jongkind was considered the most important precursor of the French Impressionist School. This particular lot shows a lot of Jongkind's qualities as an artist. The theme is rather traditional, a typical Dutch landscape with a polder and windmill, while his style is considered quite radical and came to be known as the pre-impressionistic style.
In the period 1855-1860 the artist lived in Rotterdam and was said to have led a debauched life there. His work didn't suffer noticeably and through the French art dealer Martin his work found its way back to Paris. Martin would be instrumental in bringing the artist back to France. He organized an auction and ninety artists contributed work to raise funds for the return of their friend. At first Jongkind was hesitant to go back and was afraid of bad reviews and the criticism that had driven him away the first time. Martin took him in at first and later he met his companion, Josephine Fresser. She took care of him and provided him with the ideal circumstances for a productive artistic career. He chose his subjects on the banks of the Seine and in other picturesque old quarters of Paris, on the sea coast of Normandy and on the Dutch canals. Refused at the Salon of 1863, he joined in the Salon des Refusés, and made the acquaintance of Claude Monet. His rendering of atmosphere and his study of fleeting effects of light and reflections made him a pioneer of Impressionism. Though his oil pictures were not painted directly from nature, and are carefully arranged compositions, his drawings and watercolours were done out of doors.
He loved to sketch after nature and was drawn to water. Later on in his studio he would translate these preliminary drawings and first impressions into paint. The vivid depiction of the light’s reflection on the water is one of Jongkind’s biggest talents. The robust strokes of his brush and his subtle atmospherically colour pallet were well appreciated by his colleagues. Along with Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Jongkind was considered the most important precursor of the French Impressionist School. This particular lot shows a lot of Jongkind's qualities as an artist. The theme is rather traditional, a typical Dutch landscape with a polder and windmill, while his style is considered quite radical and came to be known as the pre-impressionistic style.