Rivierlandschap met molens 1866 - 1922

This evocative sketch of a riverscape with mills was rendered by Willem Cornelis Rip. Note the windmills, those mechanical giants that punctuate the horizon. These are not mere functional structures; they are powerful symbols, deeply rooted in the collective psyche. Recall Don Quixote tilting at windmills, mistaking them for actual giants, his subconscious projecting his own internal struggles onto these towering figures. In that narrative, the windmill becomes a projection screen for inner turmoil. And here, too, these windmills might signify more than meets the eye, representing human ingenuity, the harnessing of natural forces, and the constant striving against the elements. These symbols—these potent containers of meaning—ripple through our cultural memory, resurfacing in unexpected forms, each time coloured by the historical context in which they appear.