Johan Barthold Jongkind

The Self-Portrait – thought to date from around 1850 – is a vigorous, skilfully composed sketch. Johan Barthold Jongkind has depicted himself in backlight, emphasising, in a highly concise manner, only a few details: the dark, elegant hat and frock coat, the whiteness of the linen, the hooked moustache and pointed beard on a barely sketched face. As in his seascapes, harbour views and cityscapes, the sky—with its distinctive blue, which some have termed ‘Jongkind blue’—takes centre stage here. The white clouds, brushed casually in a creamy texture, form a halo around the artist’s silhouette. The landscape in the background is reduced to a few patches of colour. Although this work is not representative of his entire body of work, one can already perceive the innovative nature of his art, which left its mark on the Impressionists and in particular on Monet, who was his pupil.

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