Gezicht op een gebouw naast een sloot before 1893

Here is a photograph by Alfred Algrain showing a building beside a ditch. Water, particularly when still, is a profound symbol, echoing throughout art history. It represents not just the surface of things, but the depths of the human psyche and the mirror of introspection. Consider the classical myth of Narcissus, who gazed into water and saw his doom. Similarly, water's reflective properties capture a potent psychological space. The water connects us to a larger cultural memory, seen in mythic bodies of water as crossings into other worlds. Observe how this symbol has shifted through time, from sacred and life-giving in ancient cultures, to a reflection of inner turmoil in Romantic art, revealing how our emotional connection to primal symbols evolves yet persists, echoing in our collective subconscious.