Figuren bij de kade van het Singel 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh sketched "Figures on the Singel Quay," a landscape filled with the hustle and bustle of daily life. Note the trees that frame the scene, their branches arching like protective arms. Trees are ancient symbols of life and knowledge, present in myths from the Tree of Life in ancient Mesopotamia to the Norse Yggdrasil. Here, they represent the organic merging with the man-made. The trees, as silent witnesses, root us in a historical narrative, suggesting continuity and growth amidst urban existence. The presence of figures, though sketched, represents humanity's constant interaction with the natural world. The quay itself, a boundary between land and water, evokes the liminal space of transition. The Singel, once a defensive moat, now a vibrant canal, mirrors how symbols evolve, retaining echoes of their past while adapting to the present. Vreedenburgh captures not just a place, but the layered memories embedded within it.