Gezicht op de Schelde bij Antwerpen 1889 - 1902

Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande etched this view of the Schelde at Antwerp, capturing the melancholic mood of a harbor scene. Dominating the foreground are stark wooden posts emerging from the water, silent witnesses of maritime activity. These posts, repeated rhythmically, evoke images across time. Consider the pillars in Piranesi's etchings of Roman ruins, or even the bare trees in a Northern Romantic landscape. They symbolize resilience and decay. Here, they speak to the impermanence of human endeavor against the ceaseless flow of time and tide. In a psychoanalytic sense, the repetitive nature of these forms might tap into a primal sense of order and rhythm, a comforting yet haunting reminder of mortality. The way the posts fade into the misty distance draws us into the artwork, evoking a deep, subconscious awareness of nature's overwhelming presence. This potent combination of motifs leaves us contemplating the transient nature of existence and the silent persistence of the natural world.