Rivierlandschap met een molen 1900 - 1931

Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this pencil drawing, titled 'River Landscape with a Mill,' on paper. Dutch landscapes have a long tradition in art. During Tholen's time, toward the end of the 19th century, artists turned to the landscape to express their national identity and cultural values. Mills, such as the one seen here, were not just practical structures for grinding grain or draining water; they became symbols of Dutch ingenuity and resilience, of a society continually working to shape its environment. Tholen's quick sketch captures the essence of the Dutch landscape, but it also reflects the changing social and economic conditions of the time. As the Netherlands industrialized, artists like Tholen sought to preserve the beauty of the rural landscape in their art. To understand Tholen’s place in this movement, we would look at exhibition reviews and sales records. These resources help us to reconstruct the values and beliefs that underpinned the art of the time.