Gezicht op Koblenz aan de Mozel Possibly 1871 - 1875

Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande captured this view of Koblenz on the Moselle in a pencil drawing on May 5, 1891. Van 's-Gravesande, a Dutch artist born in the mid-19th century, lived in a world where industrialization and urbanization were rapidly changing the landscape. Here, he presents a tranquil scene of the city of Koblenz. The choice to depict a city not with bustling streets, but with its architecture viewed across a body of water evokes a sense of distance. The detailed rendering of the buildings and the bridge contrasts with the quickly sketched logs in the foreground, creating a layered effect that almost feels like looking back in time. Consider the artist's choice to capture this view. What does it mean to frame a city in this way, emphasizing its relationship to the natural world? How might this image reflect the artist's own sense of identity and place within a changing world?