Landschap met een roeiboot op een rivier 1870 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen rendered this landscape with graphite on paper, depicting a river scene punctuated by a lone rowboat. Water, in the language of symbols, is an ancient emblem of fluidity, transformation, and the subconscious. Consider its recurrence throughout history, from baptismal rites signifying spiritual cleansing to its chaotic force in Delacroix's "The Barque of Dante," where water embodies turmoil. Tholen’s calmer river is no less potent. It reflects the landscape, blurring the line between reality and dream, a visual echo of the psychological mirroring we find in the human psyche. This mirroring effect has roots stretching back to antiquity, with Narcissus gazing into the pool, symbolizing the perils of self-obsession. The emotional impact of the tranquil scene invites us to a meditative state, a moment of reflection. The motif’s continued resonance speaks to our inherent, almost primal connection to water, a connection continually resurfacing in art.