Bords de Canal
1801 to 1825
Medium
red chalk and graphite on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 31.2 x 46.5 cm (12 5/16 x 18 5/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1952.8.253
Art Historical Context
Johan Barthold Jong’s “Bords de” offers a quiet view of canal banks, captured with the subtle interplay of red chalk and graphite on laid paper. Measuring just over 12 by 18 inches, the drawing’s intimate scale encourages close looking, revealing soft tonal gradations and crisp lines that suggest both the water’s surface and the surrounding landscape. Created between 1801 and 1825, the work reflects the period’s growing interest in direct observation of nature. The choice of red chalk and graphite allowed Jongkind to combine warm, velvety strokes with cooler, precise marks, giving the scene a...
About the Artist
Johan Barthold Jongkind
Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819–1891) was born on June 3 in the rural village of Lattrop, in the Netherlands' Overijssel province, and emerged as a pivotal figure bridging Dutch landscape traditions with the dawn of Impressionism. He began his formal training at The Hague's art academy under the esteemed landscape painter Andreas Schelfhout, whose influence rooted Jongkind in the meticulous depictio...