Gezicht op IJzendoorn en Ochten aan de Waal 1833

Johannes Tavenraat sketched this view of IJzendoorn en Ochten aan de Waal in the 19th century. Look at the river. In this composition, the river takes on a symbolic dimension. Throughout art history, rivers have often represented the passage of time, the journey of life, or the boundaries between worlds, both physical and spiritual. One might recall the ancient Egyptians, who saw the Nile as the very source of life, or even the Greeks, who saw the rivers Styx and Acheron mark the border to the underworld. In Tavenraat's drawing, the river also evokes a sense of movement and transition, perhaps reflecting the psychological flow of ideas and memories. It calls us to reflect on the transient, ever-changing nature of existence and the deep currents of history that shape our understanding of the world.