Rue Notre-Dame, Paris

About this artwork

Rue Notre Dame (tegenwoordig Rue Censier) in Parijs, gezien vanuit het midden en naar links afbuigend in de diepte. Aan weerszijden van de straat eigentijdse behuizing. Door de lichtval van linksboven valt de schaduw van de huizen op de straat. De straat, in blonde zandkleur geschilderd, wordt in drie horizontale niveaus verdeeld door donkere lijnen die stoepranden of slagschaduwen kunnen zijn. Rechts loopt een dame op de rug gezien, voor haar een paard en wagen. In de achtergrond bevinden zich ...

Art Historical Context

Johan Barthold Jongkind's *Rue Notre-Dame, Paris (1866) offers an intimate glimpse into everyday urban life in mid-19th-century Paris This oil on canvas painting, measuring just 38.7 x 47.6 cm, the street—now known as Rue Censier—from its center, curving gently left into depth. Flanked by contemporary houses, the scene evokes the bustling yet ordinary rhythm of the city, with a low horizon line placing the vast sky at one-quarter height. Light streams in from the upper left, casting long shadows across the blonde, sandy-toned street, which Jongkind divides into three horizontal bands using dark lines—perhaps curbs or stark shadows—for a rhythmic depth. A woman walks away on the right, accompanied by a horse and cart, while distant figures dot the background under a brilliant blue sky laced with wispy clouds. The small scale and oil medium allow for delicate layering of color and tone, creating a vivid sense of atmosphere and transience. Housed in the Rijksmuseum, this work stands as a charming historical snapshot, preserving a vanished Parisian vista and highlighting Jongkind's skill in rendering natural light's subtle play on urban forms. Perfect for savoring up close, it invites visitors to step into a sunlit moment from 1866.

About the Artist

Johan Barthold Jongkind · 1819–1891

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...