Museum Amstelkring te Amsterdam 1870 - 1926

Willem Wenckebach made this drawing of the Museum Amstelkring in Amsterdam using pen and ink. The architectural drawing focuses on the exterior of the building. Look at how the water acts as a mirror, reflecting the facades. Water, since antiquity, has carried symbolic weight. It is a liminal space, the boundary between conscious and unconscious, capable of reflecting and distorting reality. The motif of reflection evokes the complex interplay between the visible and the hidden. Think of Narcissus, who stared at his reflection in the water and was consumed by it. This tale echoes in the drawing, reminding us of the hidden narratives within the architecture. This piece prompts us to reflect on how spaces and symbols carry cultural memory and how these memories surface and evolve across time.