Gezicht op de badplaats Wenditt op Java 1847 - 1891

This watercolor of the Wenditt Bathing Resort in Java was created by Johan Conrad Greive, sometime in the mid-19th century. The work is made using watercolor paints on paper. Consider how the artist is using traditional techniques of watercolor painting to represent this place, which at the time was part of the Dutch East Indies. Look at the details – the way the figures are arranged, the architecture, and how it contrasts with the natural environment. It is clearly intended as a picturesque scene. Yet, the very act of portraying this landscape is closely tied to the labor and exploitation inherent in colonialism. This seemingly innocuous bathing resort cannot be separated from the context of Dutch occupation and resource extraction in Java. The painting thus serves as a potent reminder that even the most conventional artistic materials and methods are deeply embedded in wider social and political issues.