Gezicht op een pier aan het water before 1900

This photographic print captures a pier extending into the water, its form rendered with a stark, almost melancholic clarity. Piers, historically, are liminal spaces, thresholds connecting land and sea. They are not unlike the bridge motif, often representing a passage or transition—a crossing from one state of being to another. Consider, for instance, the bridges in Giovanni Bellini's Venetian paintings, where bridges signify spiritual or physical journeys. The pier evokes similar sentiments, resonating with themes of departure and arrival, seen across cultures in various forms. Here, the pier's stark simplicity and the tranquil water beyond evoke a profound sense of longing and the human desire to explore the unknown, tapping into our collective memories and subconscious. This image speaks to the eternal human fascination with edges and the places where worlds meet, a symbol endlessly revisited and reimagined throughout time.