Sloepen op de Theems in Londen 1931

Jacques Beltrand created "Sloepen op de Theems in Londen" a print of the Thames in London. Beltrand, who lived through both World Wars, often depicted landscapes with an eye for the changing social and industrial environments. In this image, the Thames is not just a river, but a working space, filled with boats and evidence of labor. It's easy to imagine the lives of the workers who navigated these waters, their identities deeply intertwined with the river’s ebb and flow. The scene, though industrial, is rendered with a sensitivity that evokes a sense of nostalgia. The artist brings the viewer face-to-face with the emotional weight of a city in constant transformation. Beltrand invites us to reflect on the human stories embedded in the urban landscape, prompting us to consider whose stories are often unseen or unacknowledged.