Landscape (1877)

Johan Barthold Jongkind prints bring breezy harbours, moonlit Dutch canals, skaters and the quays of Paris into your home. Jongkind was a Dutch painter and printmaker whose free, luminous seascapes made him a forerunner of Impressionism; Monet credited him with the "definitive education" of his eye. Our collection of fine art prints covers his marine and harbour scenes, Dutch winter and moonlight views, Paris streets and watercolours.

About Johan Barthold Jongkind

Johan Barthold Jongkind was born in Lattrop, in the Dutch province of Overijssel, on 3 June 1819. He trained at the art academy in The Hague under Andreas Schelfhout, and in 1846 moved to Paris, where he studied with Eugène Isabey and François-Édouard Picot. Two years later the Salon accepted his work, and the critics Charles Baudelaire and later Émile Zola praised him, but he had little success and suffered from depression and alcoholism.

He lived in Rotterdam from 1855 to 1860, then returned to Paris, renting a studio in Montparnasse where his work began to show the Impressionist style to come. From 1862 he travelled regularly to Normandy, where he befriended Eugène Boudin and met Claude Monet and Frédéric Bazille around the Saint-Siméon farm at Honfleur. He exhibited at the Salon des Refusés in 1863, and in 1874 declined an invitation to the first Impressionist exhibition.

In 1878 he moved with his companion Joséphine Fesser to La Côte-Saint-André near Grenoble. He died at Saint-Égrève in the Isère on 9 February 1891.

Style and Subjects

Jongkind painted skies and water with a free, sketch-like touch, catching changing light, wind and weather. His harbours and estuaries are full of movement: sailing boats, clouds, reflections and quick figures on the quays.

He loved moonlight scenes of Dutch canals and windmills, winter views with skaters, and the streets of Paris. His watercolours, made on the spot, are especially fresh and were an important example for Boudin and Monet.

Famous Works

• View of Delft (1844), Kunstmuseum Den Haag. An early Dutch townscape.
• Frigates (1852), Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. Ships on the water in soft light.
• Canal Saint-Martin (1853). A Paris canal scene from his first years in France.
• View from the Quai d'Orsay (1854), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Seine in Paris.
• Le Havre (1862). The Normandy harbour from the year he began working there.
• Winter Landscape with Skaters (1864), Teylers Museum, Haarlem. Skaters on a frozen Dutch canal.
• The Port of Dordrecht (1869), Dordrechts Museum. The busy Dutch harbour.
• Overschie in the Moonlight (1871), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. A Dutch village under the moon.

Decorating with Jongkind Prints

Jongkind's harbour and sea scenes, like Entrance to the Port of Honfleur, suit a coastal home, living room or study, with their soft blues, greys and silvers. His moonlit canals make a calm picture for a bedroom.

His winter skating scenes, such as Patineurs à Maassluis, are lovely seasonal art for a hallway, and his Paris views suit a study.

FAQ

Who was Johan Barthold Jongkind?

Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819–1891) was a Dutch painter and printmaker who worked mostly in France and is regarded as a forerunner of Impressionism.

How did Jongkind influence Monet?

He worked with Monet and Boudin in Normandy in the 1860s, and Monet credited him with the "definitive education" of his eye.

Did Jongkind exhibit with the Impressionists?

He showed at the 1863 Salon des Refusés, but declined the invitation to the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874.

Where can I see Jongkind's paintings?

The Rijksmuseum, the Musée d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Clark Art Institute and the Dordrechts Museum hold his work.

Related Artists

• Eugène Boudin: friend and fellow painter of the Normandy coast
• Claude Monet: the Impressionist he helped train
• Andreas Schelfhout: his teacher in The Hague
• Eugène Isabey: his teacher in Paris
• Frédéric Bazille: Impressionist he met in Normandy