Landschap in de buurt van Malang 1874

Johan Conrad Greive created this print of "Landschap in de buurt van Malang" with etching around the mid-19th century. The image offers us a window into the Dutch colonial presence in Java. Greive, who never actually visited Java, composed the landscape based on the sketches of others, fitting them into a romanticized view of the exotic East. You see a tranquil scene, but consider the power dynamics at play. The colonial gaze transforms the land and its people into picturesque, manageable images. The volcano, the road, and the figures crossing the bridge, are elements of a composed, controlled vista. This work invites us to reflect on how landscapes can be imbued with narratives of power, control and cultural encounter. It serves as a reminder of the selective perspectives through which history is often recorded and remembered.