Vissershuizen te Zandvoort 1827 - 1892

Everhardus Koster’s delicate pencil drawing captures Vissershuizen te Zandvoort, or Fishermen's Houses in Zandvoort. In the 19th century, Dutch artists frequently turned to the countryside for unadulterated, “authentic” scenes of national life. Here, Koster depicts a fishing village, a slice of Dutch life that would have been seen as distinctly separate from the concerns of urban centers. But the decision to focus on the life of fishermen also comes with certain assumptions. What does it mean to turn the working class into an object of aesthetic contemplation? In choosing to depict the village, Koster participates in the social construction of a particular vision of the Netherlands. The muted tones and careful rendering of the buildings evoke a quiet, almost melancholic mood. It serves not only as a record, but also as a lens through which to consider how national identity is shaped by the selective framing of everyday life.