Kade van een Oosterse haven 1644 - 1674

Johannes Lingelbach created this drawing of an Oriental harbor using pen and brown ink, with a gray wash. Lingelbach never traveled to the East. He was part of a generation of artists who painted imagined scenes of the Mediterranean and the Levant. Here we can observe the artist’s romanticized view of an exotic port. Though visually appealing, such depictions contribute to a problematic, one-sided narrative. Notice how the ‘Oriental’ figures are rendered as passive observers, while the European merchants are active and dominant. These types of images reinforced the existing power structures. The scene evokes a sense of both wonder and unease. The artist's idealized portrayal contrasts with the realities of trade and colonial expansion of the time, inviting us to reflect on the complex relationship between Europe and the East.