Gezicht op de stad Kupang vanaf het water 1843 - 1845

Paulus Lauters made this print of the city of Kupang from the water sometime in the 19th century. Lauters was a landscape artist and this print invites us to consider the social, cultural, and institutional context of landscape imagery. This detailed rendering of Kupang, now part of Indonesia, offers a specific view of the city as seen from the sea and it reflects the colonial gaze of the Dutch empire at that time. From the mid-17th century onwards, Kupang was under Dutch control and became an important trading post for the Dutch East India Company. The ships in the foreground emphasize maritime trade, suggesting Dutch economic interests. The composition, with a careful balance between the natural landscape and the built environment, constructs a sense of order and control, a visual assertion of colonial power over the territory. Understanding images like these demands that we go beyond aesthetics, researching the historical context and colonial archives to reveal the complex power dynamics embedded in such depictions.