Rivierlandschap met twee molens 1872 - 1939

Egbert Rubertus Derk Schaap made this evocative drawing of a river landscape with two windmills, sometime around 1903. Schaap was a Dutch artist, and windmills were not just a picturesque motif, but critical infrastructure for land drainage in the low-lying Netherlands. The image creates meaning through its seemingly simple visual codes. The windmills evoke a sense of Dutch identity, deeply rooted in the struggle to manage water. The somber tones and the vast expanse of the sky suggest the ever-present threat of flooding. Looking at this artwork, we might consider the institutional histories of water management in the Netherlands, and how these structures shaped the daily lives of people. Was Schaap consciously commenting on the social structures of his time? We can only speculate, but by consulting archives, historical records, and other visual sources, we can start to build a richer understanding of the context in which this drawing was created.