Moulins de Hollande;

Rotterdam, 1867. Etching on cream laid paper. 5 7/16x7 7/16 inches (137 x 188 mm). Scattered toning, age stain, and scattered minor defects consistent with age. Second state (of 3).
[Delteil 14]. Johan Barthold Jongkind was a Dutch painter and printmaker who was born in the town Lattrop, near Rotterdam in The Netherlands in 1819. He was trained at the art academy in The Hague under Andreas Schelfhout, in 1846 he moved to Montparnasse in Paris, France where he studied under Eugène Isabey and François-Édouard Picot. In 1848 the Paris Salon accepted his work for its exhibition, and he received acclaim from critic Charles Baudelaire and later on from Émile Zola. Despite this, he was to experience little commercial success.

He is considered a contemporary pioneer of impressionist painting. Manet called Jongkind the "father of impressionism". His compositions which largely consist of river and sea landscapes are connected to the Dutch painting traditions of his homeland. After moving to Paris the banks of the Seine became one of his favorite subjects, particularly the area near Notre-Dame Cathedral. He returned to Rotterdam in 1855, then moved back to Paris in 1861, living in France for the remainder of his life until his death in 1891. In 1863 Jongkind exhibited at the first Salon des Refusés. He was invited to participate in the first exhibition of the Impressionist group in 1874, but he declined.

Jongkind's landscapes often unfold under looming moody skies and accumulating dark clouds, perhaps in part a manifestation of the sporadic bouts of depression that he suffered, compounded by alcoholism. His depiction of light shows a stylistic treatment similar to that of Corot, who was a great influence upon Jongkind. His paintings show an inherent interest in the stylistic treatment of atmosphere and light, similar to Corot's style, while the structure of his landscapes with low horizons and cloudy skies hints at his distinct Dutch heritage. Jongkind's concise, loose brushstrokes and the deeply contrasting tones pave the way for impressionistic experiments.

"...[H]e is the first of the great Impressionists," wrote one contemporary critic, "while ever remaining a great Classic," (Henri Frantz, "Johann Barthold Jongkind," International Studio, vol. 36, no. 141, 1908, p. 12). Edouard Manet would later broaden Jongkind's title to the "father of modern landscape painting." He was a mentor to artist friends including Alfred Sisley, Eugène Boudin, and the young Claude Monet.
Jongkind's paintings, prints, and sketches are exhibited in museums worldwide including Museum Rotterdam, Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Petit Palais in Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery in London, National Museum, Kraków, and Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes de Valparaíso.