De ruïne van het Huis te Kleef bij Haarlem 1733 - 1784

Hendrik Spilman made this watercolor and pen drawing of the Ruin of Huis te Kleef near Haarlem sometime in the mid-18th century. The Huis te Kleef was a castle with a rich history, but by the time Spilman made this drawing, it had already fallen into disrepair and was well on its way to becoming the romantic ruin that we see here. The rise of landscape art in the Netherlands coincided with the decline of Dutch power, and this image is steeped in a sense of loss. Here we see a building that has been stripped of its social function, a process that began in the 16th century during the Dutch revolt against the Spanish. The ruin is a potent symbol of shifting social structures. To understand the context in which Spilman was working, one might research the political history of Haarlem as well as the rise of landscape painting in the Netherlands. By doing so, we can start to appreciate the complex web of social and institutional forces that shape the production and reception of art.