Aangemeerde schepen aan een waterkant 1890 - 1946

Cornelis Vreedenburgh sketched this cityscape with boats along the water's edge using graphite on paper. The most dominant symbol in this drawing is, of course, the ship. Throughout history, ships have been laden with meaning. The ancient Egyptians saw the solar barque as a vessel for the sun god Ra, ferrying him across the heavens each day. Similarly, we can trace the Ship of Fools in medieval times, exposing human folly on a boat with no direction. Here, Vreedenburgh's ship, moored and at rest, embodies the journey's end, a safe harbor, a place of respite. In the collective unconscious, water often symbolizes the unknown, the subconscious itself. Vreedenburgh’s boats, stilled on the water, tap into an ancient yearning for stillness. It is an image of safety and tranquility that resonates deeply within us. A reminder of home after a long voyage. The ebb and flow of symbols are never linear, for they return in new forms, shaped by time and experience, and they evoke in us powerful echoes of the past.