Boten bij een kade 1846

Everhardus Koster created this tranquil watercolor of boats at a quay. The image is dominated by a sense of bustling commerce, with vessels large and small crowding the waterway. Note the prominent crane on the left, a symbol of human industry reaching towards the sky. This motif harkens back to ancient images of the Tower of Babel, where humanity’s ambition sought to transcend earthly bounds. We also observe how its repeated verticality throughout history can be found in the colossal structures of modernity—skyscrapers, bridges, and factory chimneys. The emotional resonance of these images taps into a primal yearning for progress and mastery over the natural world. The cyclical nature of such symbols reminds us that human endeavor, whether in antiquity or the modern age, forever strives, falters, and is reborn, with each iteration shaping our collective memory and subconscious understanding of the world.