Gezicht de zuidkust van Java 1854

Carl Wilhelm Mieling made this print, titled 'Gezicht de zuidkust van Java', or 'View of the South Coast of Java', using lithography, a printmaking technique, sometime in the 19th century. Mieling was born in Sweden, but he spent much of his career in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. This image offers us a window into the colonial gaze. During this period, European artists often depicted landscapes of colonized lands to convey a sense of exoticism and to assert dominance over these territories. The picturesque scenery, with its lush vegetation and dramatic coastlines, romanticizes Java, obscuring the social and political realities of Dutch colonialism. The inclusion of local figures, rendered small against the vast landscape, further emphasizes the power dynamic between colonizer and colonized. While seemingly a tranquil landscape, the print quietly speaks of a history marked by exploitation and inequality. It serves as a reminder of the complex and often problematic ways in which art can reflect and perpetuate power structures.