Gezicht op de Noordkust van Java, tussen Cirebon en Tegal, vanuit de zee, West-Java c. 1816 - 1846

Adrianus Johannes Bik made this drawing of the north coast of Java from the sea with pen and brush in gray and watercolor. This quick sketch of the coast offers a glimpse into the visual culture surrounding Dutch colonialism in the East Indies. Consider the institutional framework of artistic production at the time. The Dutch colonial government and the art academies in the Netherlands shaped the subjects, styles, and purposes of art made in and about the colonies. Travel accounts, scientific illustrations, and landscape paintings served to document, classify, and promote the economic exploitation of the region. What seems at first glance like an innocent landscape is in fact a visual record that supported the Dutch presence in Java. To fully understand this drawing, we can consult sources such as colonial archives, travel literature, and studies of Dutch East India Company to deepen our understanding of the social, political, and economic context in which it was created.