Landschap met figuren rondom een vuur en tekenaar en schalmeispeler aan de oever van een rivier 1762 - 1766

William Woollett created this landscape, now at the Rijksmuseum, using engraving techniques. Observe how the figures gather around a fire, echoing ancient communal rituals. Fire, a symbol of transformation and purification, appears across cultures, from the hearths of ancient Greece to the bonfires of pagan celebrations. The act of gathering, marked here by the fire, speaks to a deep, shared memory. This primal scene—a group united in the face of the unknown—reverberates through art history. Think of cave paintings depicting hunting parties around a flame, or Renaissance depictions of village feasts. Woollett seems to tap into something fundamentally human, portraying the comfort and unity found in shared light and warmth, a symbol that persists, ever-evolving, connecting us to our collective past.