Meisje bij een waterpomp 1842 - 1896

This etching by Kornelis Jzn de Wijs captures a girl at a water pump, an ordinary scene, yet it resonates with symbols of life and necessity. Water, universally a source of life, has been a potent symbol in art and culture across millennia. Consider the well, a symbol of both sustenance and the hidden depths of the human psyche. The act of drawing water is, in essence, an act of accessing life's most basic needs. One is reminded of countless images from antiquity, where water is a symbol of purification. Reflect on the layers of meaning embedded here, passed down through generations. It is not merely water she draws, but a connection to a deep, collective wellspring of human experience. This little scene stirs something profound within us, a primal recognition of life's enduring cycles.