Gezicht op een kade met huizen c. 1897 - 1899

Willem Witsen made this sketch of a quay with houses, a view of a street with buildings in the Netherlands. Observe how Witsen rendered the buildings that line the canal; the verticality, in particular, emphasizes the human desire for higher ground, a quest that echoes through time in structures from the Tower of Babel to modern skyscrapers. It is an architectural aspiration. The open windows evoke an openness, inviting us to see in. The buildings in the foreground, the figures on the street; these details resonate with motifs found in art across centuries and cultures. Think of the urban scenes in Dutch Golden Age paintings or the anonymous crowds in Impressionist art. Such images act as both mirrors and windows, reflecting our own experiences, linking us to a collective consciousness that transcends time. These symbols are not static; they continually morph, adapt, and resurface, resonating with new meanings.