Landschap met een molen en korenschoven c. 1803 - 1818

This pencil drawing presents a Dutch landscape featuring a windmill and sheaves of wheat. The windmill is not just a functional structure but also a profound symbol, deeply rooted in Dutch identity, representing the nation's battle against the waters and its mastery over the land. Consider, for instance, the symbolic weight of the wheel. From ancient sun worship to its adaptation in Christian iconography, where it represents the cyclical nature of life and divine illumination, the wheel appears throughout history, constantly shifting in meaning. In the subconscious, it evokes the unending circle of existence, and its motion is a psychological echo of both progress and repetition. Like the cyclical wheel, the wheat sheaves in this landscape are potent symbols of harvest, abundance, and the rhythms of nature. These echoes are emotional, reminding us of our deep connections to the earth, and how symbols such as these resurface, evolving in meaning but forever rooted in our collective consciousness.