De Kustlichttoren op Schouwen, Gebouwd in 1839 1839

This lithograph depicts the Coastlight Tower on Schouwen, built in 1839. Notice the tower's verticality, a shape loaded with symbolic potency throughout history. The tower is a symbol of aspiration and reaching towards the divine, reminiscent of the Tower of Babel, a motif recurring across cultures. In ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats and Egyptian obelisks, we see this same impulse to bridge the earthly and the celestial. This impulse continues through the Middle Ages with church steeples striving towards heaven. The psychological resonance of this image taps into our collective unconscious. The lighthouse offers guidance and safety through the darkness, stirring deep-seated feelings of hope and security. It echoes in the symbolism of religious architecture, which aims to provide a secure and sacred space amid the chaos of existence. Over time, the tower has resurfaced, evolved, and taken on new meanings, yet it remains a powerful symbol of humanity's enduring quest for transcendence and orientation.