Deltawerken II before 1967

Aat Verhoog made this drawing, Deltawerken II, with pen and ink on paper. It shows an interconnected series of triangles, overlaid with topographical markings, suggestive of landmasses but also of engineering blueprints. Above, a dark cloud looms, intersected by a vertical structure. The drawing engages with the Delta Works, a system of dams and storm surge barriers in the Netherlands, designed to protect the low-lying country from flooding. The Delta Works exemplify a key tension in modern life: that between nature and technology. Verhoog complicates any simple celebration of technology and progress. Instead, the graphic quality of the drawing reminds us of the degree to which nature is increasingly mediated through human representation. To understand this artwork better, we might research the history of land reclamation in the Netherlands, the debates surrounding environmental engineering, and the ways that artists have engaged with these issues. Ultimately, this work reminds us that our understanding of even the most natural landscapes is shaped by cultural and institutional forces.