Zware mist te Amsterdam, 1790 1783 - 1795

Reinier Vinkeles captured *Zware mist te Amsterdam* in 1790, using etching to illustrate a scene shrouded in a heavy Amsterdam fog. In the late 18th century, Amsterdam was a city of contrasts, a hub of international trade and intellectual exchange, but also a place marked by stark social inequalities and political tensions. Vinkeles' print gives us a glimpse into this world. The fog obscures and distorts, turning the familiar cityscape into a space of mystery and potential danger. The figures, rendered in stark detail against the gloom, seem to be hurrying, perhaps driven by the cold or by some unseen threat. Is it a documentary record of a foggy night, or is it a commentary on the social climate of the time, where the lines between visibility and obscurity, safety and danger, were constantly shifting? The emotional weight of this piece rests in its ability to evoke a sense of unease, of being lost in a world that is both familiar and alien. This print serves as a reminder of the power of art to capture not just what we see, but how we feel.