1819 -1891 · Netherlands, Paris, Normandy, Nivernais and Dauphiné

Low horizons, moving water and spontaneous watercolors make Johan Barthold Jongkind a decisive precursor of impressionism.

Johan Barthold Jongkind was born in Lattrop in the Netherlands in 1819. He studied at the Hague Drawing Academy from 1837 and worked with the landscaper Andreas Schelfhout, whose canals, mills, extended skies and clear construction of space. Invited by Eugène Isabey, he arrived in Paris in 1846. The capital, the Seine, the quays and the Norman ports became his great subjects. Jongkind painted in oil in the workshop but practiced on the motif a quick watercolor, made of reserves of paper, nervous signs and transparent touches. Entrance to the port of Honfleur, Le Pont-Neuf and Notre-Dame seen from the Quai Saint-Michel show how boat, bridge and architecture dissolves in an atmosphere made of water, mist and reflections. His stays in Normandy brought him closer to young painters, including Claude Monet, who recognized the importance of his gaze. Refused at the Official Salon but presented at the Salon des Refusés in 1863, Jongkind did not participate in the impressionist exhibition of 1874; his work nevertheless prepared his freedom. From 1860, Joséphine Fesser accompanied him and supported his career. From 1860, Joséphine Fesser accompanied him and supported his career. From 1860, Joséphine Fesser accompanied him and supported his career. The last years were divided between Paris, Nivernais and Dauphiné, where roads, farms and rivers renewed her repertoire. Died in Saint-Égrève in 1891, Jongkind left a transitional painting where the Dutch tradition meet the modern moment. The "Johan Barthold Jongkind" selection notably compares Le Pont-Neuf and Entrance to the port of Honfleur. His reading favors figures.

Jongkind builds just enough for air to circulate: a line fixes the bridge, a spot opens the water, and the sky completes the landscape.