Gezicht op het strand van Katwijk met drie vissersboten aan de kustlijn 1862 - 1913

Alphonse Stengelin’s etching captures three fishing boats beached along the coastline of Katwijk. The dominant motif here is the boat itself, a potent symbol of transition and the voyage of life. Boats, as vessels traversing uncertain waters, have long held symbolic weight. Think of the Egyptian funerary boats carrying souls to the afterlife, or the ships in ancient Greek vase paintings navigating the wine-dark sea. These vessels are not merely vehicles, but metaphors for human existence. Notice how the image of the boat persists through epochs, morphing in appearance yet retaining its core association with journeys and the unknown. The collective memory of humankind, shaped by countless voyages and maritime adventures, imbues these images with a psychological resonance, triggering subconscious associations with exploration, peril, and the search for new horizons. Just like life, the seas are ever-changing and relentless, always moving forward.