Vaart met roeiboten c. 1890 - 1891

Willem de Zwart made this etching of rowboats, using ink on paper. At first glance, it’s a simple scene, but look closer at how the boats line the shore—symbols of journeys and transitions. The boat motif, laden with centuries of symbolic weight, echoes across cultures. Think of the Egyptian funerary boats carrying souls to the afterlife, or the mythological ferryman Charon guiding souls across the river Styx. In Christianity, the boat represents the church, navigating the seas of life. Here, the rowboats sit idle, suggesting a pause, a moment of reflection before the next voyage. In our collective psyche, water is a powerful symbol of the subconscious. Just as dreams emerge from the depths of our minds, the still water here invites introspection. This image is not merely a depiction of boats, it’s a mirror reflecting our own journeys, memories, and the timeless human experience of navigating life's currents.