Krabbersgat te Enkhuizen 1870 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this pencil drawing, Krabbersgat te Enkhuizen, capturing a scene in the Dutch harbor town of Enkhuizen. Tholen was part of a generation of Dutch artists who, in the late 19th century, turned away from romanticized historical paintings to focus on the everyday lives of the working class. Living in a country that was once a dominant colonial power, the working class identity became closely tied to the nation. This drawing captures a specific time and place, depicting the grit and daily life of a port town. The sky dominates the composition, reflecting off the water and creating a sense of the vastness of the harbor. In his own words, Tholen sought to capture, "the atmosphere, the light, the air, the movement." He doesn't give us a romantic view, but a scene of regular life. Here, the personal and the political blur, asking us to consider who is seen and unseen in the landscape of a nation.