Aankomst aan land 1766

Noach van der Meer the Younger created this etching titled "Arrival on Land." Here, the act of arrival itself—the ship, the disembarking figures—becomes a potent symbol. For centuries, the ship has represented not just travel but also transformation and the crossing of thresholds. Think of the "Ship of Fools," a motif that captures humanity adrift, or the harrowing journeys across the River Styx into the underworld. The people coming ashore signal more than a mere change of location. The act of stepping onto new soil carries an almost primal resonance. It evokes the dawn of civilization when early humans ventured into uncharted territories, driven by curiosity, necessity, or the promise of a new beginning. This moment of arrival taps into our collective memory, stirring deep-seated feelings of hope and trepidation. The beach represents the liminal space between the known and the unknown.