Havn med fyrtårn 1656

Reinier Nooms created this etching of a harbor with a lighthouse sometime in the mid-17th century. Nooms, also known as Zeeman, which means "seaman," lived a life at sea, and his first-hand experiences profoundly shaped his artistic perspective. In this print, the sun illuminates a scene bustling with maritime activity, where ships sail, and figures populate the foreground, their gestures animating the space. It's hard not to consider how Nooms' identity as a sailor intertwined with the complex maritime trade networks of the Dutch Golden Age. This was a period marked not only by economic prosperity but also by the rise of the Dutch slave trade. Nooms’s seascapes often avoid directly addressing these darker aspects of maritime history. What does it mean to create art that captures the beauty and industry of the sea, while omitting the violence that defined this era? This image invites us to reflect on the stories that are told and, perhaps more importantly, the stories that are left untold.