Het schip van Henry Hudson, de Halve Maen, nadert de Noord-Amerikaanse kust, 1609 1909

André Vlaanderen made this image of Henry Hudson’s ship, the Halve Maen, sometime in the first half of the 20th century, using what looks like a commercial printmaking process. There's something really charming about the way Vlaanderen approaches color. It's not about being realistic, but more about capturing a general impression – a kind of slightly faded memory. Notice how the figures are painted in an almost illustrative way, with flat areas of color and simple outlines. The whole image feels a bit like a stage set, which makes sense, because history is always a kind of performance. The most evocative part for me is the water, just barely suggested with these quick, horizontal strokes of pale blues and greens. It's so minimal, but it really works! Looking at this image, I'm reminded of the American painter, Winslow Homer, who also loved painting the sea. Both artists share this knack for capturing the raw, elemental power of nature with just a few well-placed marks. Ultimately, this piece reminds us that art is less about perfect representation, and more about the stories we tell ourselves about the world.