Riviergezichten met molens c. 1841 - 1865

This unassuming sketch, Riviergezichten met molens, was created by Petrus Johannes Schotel sometime in the 19th century. Note the windmill, its form so familiar and yet so charged. It is more than a mere structure; it's an assertion of human endeavor against the vastness of nature. We see these motifs echo through time. Consider Don Quixote tilting at windmills—the windmill is not merely a machine but a symbol of imagined conflicts and human folly. Even today, the image of the windmill persists as a symbol of rustic simplicity, a connection to the land. This recurring symbol is not merely the preservation of an image but a cyclical return, charged with new meanings each time. It is a potent reminder of how images persist, evolve, and engage us on a deep, often subconscious level.