The story

Johan Bartold Jongkind was educated by Andreas Schelfhout, the famous Dutch painter of romantic summer- and winter landscapes, but when he moved to France, his traditional style altered into a more impressionistic style. He mixed the Dutch, grey light with the bright light of France. As he progressed, his painting became looser, faster and more daring and he became of great influence for the young French impressionists. He formed his compositions to the Dutch tradition: the low horizon gave him space to show the architecture, ships and landscape with exuberant skies.
He constantly yearned for The Netherlands. Between 1866 and 1869 he made the trip to Holland four times. He wanted to see the Dutch landscapes, which were much wanted, time and again with his own eyes. Jongkind did not want to show everything in his artworks: he gave an impression of a motive at a certain moment. 

Jongkind was a magician with colour and created remarkable paintings, such as this Rotterdam canal. In this year, 1867, he painted several yellow-coloured skies and their reflection in the water. This is one of the larger paintings Jongkind made in this period. In the trees on the right, Jongkind pressed his brush to apply the colour on the canvas: the size and form of the tassel is visible. In very loose strokes, Jongkind painted the water – or the illusion of water – just as he suggested the figures on the boats with very few dots. The colours in which he painted the skies give a sense of warmth and almost fairy-talelike atmosphere.

Signed lower left ‘Jongkind 1867’

Provenance: 
Private collection, The Hague; Private collection, Brussels; Kunsthandel Huinck & Scherjon N.V, Amsterdam

Exhibited: 
Amsterdam (Kunsthandel Huinck &Scherjon N.V.) 'Tentoonstelling van Nederlandsche en Fransche Kunst' 27 mei-15 juli 1939, nr. 22; Amsterdam (Kunsthandel Van Wisselingh) Johan Barthold Jongkind: Exposition de quelques tableaux provenant de collections particulières Nèerlandaises, 7 june-6 juli 1960, nr. 12

Literature: 
Tentoonstellingscatalogus: Tentoonstelling van Nederlandsche en Franse Kunst, 1939, Kunsthandel Huinck en Scherjon, no 22 (Kunsthandel Huinck en Scherjon); Tentoonstellingscatalogus: Johan Barthold Jongkind: Exposition de quelques tableaux provenant de collections particulières Nèerlandaises, 1960, no. 12 (Kunsthandel Van Wisselingh)