Toren van de Grote Kerk te Gorinchem 1637 - 1689

Jacob van der Ulft rendered this view of the tower of the Great Church at Gorinchem in ink and watercolor. Its soaring height is capped with a weather vane, a potent symbol. Consider how the arrow, once a primitive tool for survival, evolved into a directional marker atop sacred spaces. Like the elevated minarets of Islamic architecture, the tower directs earthly concerns towards the divine. This visual language transcends cultures, evoking a sense of aspiration and spiritual seeking, an architectural echo of the Winged Victory of ancient Greece. The tower is not merely stone and mortar but a visual embodiment of humanity's quest for higher meaning. It speaks to our collective memory and primal urge to transcend the earthly realm. In this image, van der Ulft captures not just a structure but an enduring symbol of hope, its arrow forever pointing towards the heavens.