Landschap ten westen van Sumedang, Priangan, West-Java c. 1816 - 1846

This pencil drawing, "Landschap ten westen van Sumedang, Priangan, West-Java," was made by Adrianus Johannes Bik. The sketch offers a window into the Dutch colonial presence in West Java. Bik's depiction of the landscape, with its orderly rows of crops and clearly labeled topographical features, speaks to the colonial project of mapping and understanding the territory for economic and administrative control. The inclusion of local dwellings amidst the vast landscape highlights the intersection of indigenous life and colonial power. It subtly underscores the imposition of a foreign system onto the existing social fabric. The Rijksmuseum, as the artwork's current location, plays a role, too. Its collection and display of such works inevitably shapes our understanding of this complex history. Accessing archives and colonial records could shed further light on the dynamics of the colonial period, allowing for a more critical interpretation of Bik's landscape.