Stadje aan het water 1860 - 1921

Adolf le Comte created this sketch of a town by the water using graphite and colored pencil. The town’s skyline is punctuated by windmills and a church tower. These vertical structures, reaching towards the heavens, have long been symbols of human aspiration and connection to the divine. We can trace this motif back to ancient ziggurats and obelisks, each striving to bridge the gap between earth and sky. Even the humble windmill, a practical tool, takes on a symbolic dimension here. Its rotating blades might echo the cyclical nature of life and the eternal quest for progress. Consider the ancient pyramids of Egypt, monuments not only to pharaohs but also to humanity's yearning for immortality. The church towers, too, carry this sense of aspiration, their bells calling out across the landscape, connecting communities through faith and shared experience. These are not merely buildings but vessels of cultural memory, resonating with the collective subconscious of generations past. Le Comte’s work beautifully captures this interplay between the earthly and the transcendent, inviting us to reflect on the enduring power of symbols to shape our understanding of the world.