A street in Landerneau

One of the forerunners of Impressionism was the Dutch artist Johan Bartold Jongkind. He had moved to Paris early in his career after obtaining a grant to study there. He studied under Eugène Isabey, who introduced him to the beautiful coasts of Normandy and Brittany. He became friendly with the young Claude Monet after meeting him accidentally in Le Havre and Monet was later to say that it was Jongkind who trained his eye. It is certainly true that Jongkind gave Monet tips on painting realistic pictures of the coast.

This painting shows a view of the Breton town of Landerneau. On the right, in the foreground, a butcher stands outside the door of his shop and a little way further up the street there is a woman holding a small child. The composition is constructed of broad planes with a few more developed details.

Source: J. Sillevis, ‘De tijd van het impressionisme’, in T.M. Eliëns, J. van Es (eds.), Kunst is keuze, Den Haag, Zwolle 2007.