Landschap met boerderijen en een molen 1866 - 1922

Willem Cornelis Rip sketched this landscape with farms and a mill in pencil, capturing a scene laden with symbols of life and labor. The windmill, the dominant structure here, transcends mere utility. It echoes across time, from the ancient world's watermills to the industrial revolution's steam-powered factories. It’s a symbol of human effort to harness nature's power, the myth of progress inscribed in its turning sails. Think of Don Quixote tilting at windmills – the psychological projection of our own struggles onto these mechanical giants. Even in our subconscious, the windmill persists as a collective memory of humanity's relationship with nature, a complex dance of dominance and dependence. Its cyclical motion reminds us of the seasons, the rhythm of life, and the passage of time, resurfacing in art, literature, and our dreams as a testament to its enduring symbolic power.