Kasteel en kerk te Spijk Possibly 1750 - 1759

Jan de Beijer made this pen drawing of a castle and church in Spijk in 1750. As an artist, de Beijer documented numerous Dutch and German cityscapes and buildings, offering us a glimpse into the 18th-century landscape. Consider the power dynamics inherent in this seemingly simple depiction. De Beijer, positioned as an observer, captures the symbols of authority: the castle, representing nobility and wealth, and the church, embodying spiritual dominance. These structures would have been central to the social hierarchy of the time. The artist's choice to include a horse-drawn carriage hints at the lives of the privileged. What stories lie behind the closed doors of the castle? Whose lives are shaped by the doctrines preached in the church? The drawing invites us to reflect on the structures that shape communities. It prompts us to consider whose stories are told and whose are left in the margins.