Molen en een huis te Waddinxveen Possibly 1866 - 1929

Willem Cornelis Rip created this pencil sketch of a windmill and house in Waddinxveen, a town in the Netherlands. The image speaks to the close relationship between the Dutch people and their landscape, particularly the innovative use of windmills to manage water and create arable land. Rip's choice of subject links him to a long tradition of landscape painting in the Netherlands, one that often carries nationalistic overtones. Looking at the sketch, one can't help but wonder about the social and economic changes underway in the late 19th century. Was Rip, consciously or unconsciously, presenting a nostalgic view of rural life in the face of increasing industrialization? What was the artist's relationship to the farming community he depicted? To fully understand this image, we might consult local historical records, agricultural studies, and biographies of the artist himself, all to place this seemingly simple sketch within its rich social and institutional context.