Finis 1870 - 1914

Willem Bastiaan Tholen created this etching called 'Finis,' which is Latin for 'The End.' Tholen lived during a time of significant social and economic change in the Netherlands. As industrialization progressed, there was a growing interest in representing the lives of ordinary people and the landscapes they inhabited. In 'Finis', the stark image of a shipwreck becomes a powerful metaphor for the end of a journey. The wreckage, with its broken mast and tattered sail, speaks to the fragility of human endeavors against the overwhelming power of nature. The choice of the Latin title 'Finis' adds a layer of solemnity, inviting reflection on mortality and the transient nature of existence. Tholen uses the sea as a metaphor for the relentless, indifferent forces that shape human destiny, inviting us to contemplate our own relationship with endings.