Gezicht op het Groothoofd te Dordrecht bij maanlicht

Johan Barthold Jongkind was one of the most important precursors of Impressionism, and this 1886 moonlit view of the Groothoofd in Dordrecht belongs to his late career, when he returned repeatedly to Dutch waterway subjects. Dordrecht's historic harbor — where the Rhine branches meet — provided exactly the kind of reflective water, masted boats, and ancient architecture that Jongkind spent a career depicting. His handling of moonlight on water was particularly admired by Monet, who credited Jongkind as a major influence on his development as a painter.

Jongkind renders the moonlit harbor in loosely applied strokes that suggest forms without fully defining them — the atmospheric handling of reflected light on water being his particular strength. The warm glow of the moon against the dark sky and its shimmering reflection create the painting's central drama, with architecture and boats handled as atmospheric silhouettes.