Landschap; uitzicht op de Pangrango, West-Java 1845

Adrianus Johannes Bik made this pencil drawing titled "Landschap; uitzicht op de Pangrango, West-Java" in 1845. The drawing depicts a landscape view of Mount Pangrango in West Java, Indonesia. The image creates meaning through a visual code that reflects the colonial gaze of the Dutch East Indies. It’s a time when Dutch artists and administrators were keenly interested in documenting the landscape and people of their colonies. Features such as the depiction of local dwellings and the presence of indigenous figures suggest an interest in cataloging and understanding the social structures of the region. It is also an institution because it makes something observable and measurable. Further research into the Dutch East Indies colonial archives, travel accounts, and ethnographic studies from the period, can offer insights into the complex socio-political dynamics of the time. These resources help us to understand art as something contingent on social and institutional context.