Coolen trekt de ploeg, ca. 1820-1850 1850 - 1950

This drawing, made circa 1820-1850 by an anonymous artist, depicts Coolen pulling the team. The plow stands out, a tool deeply rooted in the cultivation of land, its form and function echoing across millennia. Consider how the plow embodies the cyclical nature of agriculture. It is not merely a tool, but a symbol of man's enduring relationship with the earth, a relationship marked by toil, dependency, and the hope for sustenance. We see it echo in ancient Egyptian reliefs, where oxen pull plows, mirroring the scene before us. The bent posture of the figure, the strain in his limbs, recalls images of Atlas bearing the weight of the world. The image stirs something primal within us, a recognition of the labour and perseverance required to wrest a living from the soil. This collective memory resonates with the emotional weight carried through generations, speaking to a timeless struggle. In the recurring image of the plow, we witness the cyclical progression of human endeavour, forever bound to the rhythms of the earth.