I must have been 18 years of age and my parents started to get an interest in Art and in those days the Romantic School paintings were in fashion, so my parents visited the art gallery of Leslie Smith. A yearly show at a venue near the Vredespaleis, what was used as a showroom of “classic” furniture. I remember seeing Schelfhout, Verschuur, Leickert and Weissenbruch, but what struck me most was a small watercolor by Johan Antoni de Jonge. It was cheap compared with the other works of art, but would still become much much cheaper now that the Romantic School painters are completely out of fashion. The good thing about de Jonge as an artist is that his works are not ” sweet” they have an abstract/impressionist quality and are very pleasing to look at. Timeless and depicting everyday life in the Netherlands. Scheveningen, the country side and beach scenes are among his favorite subjects. They have all one thing in common. The artistic quality is there and makes you want to participate in the scene and experience life around the turn of the century.
The book on Johan Antoni de Jonge is available at www.ftn-books.com
