Vestingwerk en woning van een commandant op Borneo c. 1838 - 1886

Editor: Here we have Willem Mathol de Jong’s “Vestingwerk en woning van een commandant op Borneo,” dating from around 1838 to 1886. It’s a pencil and watercolor drawing depicting two scenes of dwellings along a riverbank. It feels very documentary in style, but also quite romantic in its depiction of the landscape. What strikes you about this work? Curator: It’s easy to see it as a purely documentary landscape, but I think we need to push against that initial reading. Consider the historical context. This was created during a period of intense Dutch colonial activity in Borneo. How might these seemingly benign depictions of dwellings actually function as tools of empire? Editor: That’s interesting; I hadn't considered that. You mean how it might legitimize the colonial presence? Curator: Precisely. These drawings present a specific vision of the colonized land, perhaps downplaying certain aspects of indigenous life while emphasizing the order imposed by the "commandant's" presence. Think about whose gaze is prioritized here. Editor: So, the artist might be subtly reinforcing a power dynamic. But isn't it possible they were simply recording what they saw? Curator: Perhaps. But can we ever truly divorce ourselves from our social and political contexts? Even the act of choosing what to depict, what to leave out, is inherently political. I wonder, what impact do you think these images had on the folks viewing them back in Europe? Editor: I see your point. It probably reinforced existing ideas of exoticism, power, and maybe even justification for colonization. Thanks for that insight; I would’ve just passed this off as an interesting landscape! Curator: It is that too! But by considering the power dynamics at play, we can enrich our understanding and make the art relevant to today's conversations about colonialism, identity, and representation.