Gezicht te Velsen 1789 - 1859

Pieter de Goeje made this drawing, Gezicht te Velsen, with pencil on paper in the first half of the 19th century. De Goeje was born in a period of revolutions across Europe in which the status quo was being questioned, and institutions were viewed with skepticism. In this image, we see the artist's attention to the everyday lives of ordinary people. The built environment of the town is rendered with an almost architectural precision. The date 1661 appears on one of the buildings. Is de Goeje commenting on the endurance of the village in the face of modernising forces? The church in the background and the labouring women in the foreground suggest the influence of religion and rural life on this community. Art historians might use census data to understand the demographics of Velsen at this time, as well as church records and architectural surveys. The role of historians is to investigate the dialogue between the image and its context, which is essential if we want to understand the place of art in society.