Ruïne van San Karin op Visby 1864 - 1909

Cornelia Christina Johanna van Trigt-Hoevenaar created this print of the San Karin ruin in Visby with etching. Van Trigt-Hoevenaar, working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, navigated a world where women artists often had to fight for recognition, and the subjects they chose could be subtly charged with meaning. The stark lines of the print capture the somber beauty of the ruin. The choice of a ruin as a subject speaks volumes—ruins are inherently about loss, the passage of time, and the inevitable decay of human creation. Given Van Trigt-Hoevenaar's position as a woman in a male-dominated art world, we might consider the ruin as a metaphor for the societal structures that sought to confine women, yet were, perhaps, crumbling. There's a quiet resistance in choosing to depict not the grand, finished cathedral, but its remains. The print invites reflection on the narratives we build and the forces, both visible and invisible, that shape our histories. The artist's vision transforms stone and shadow into a powerful statement about resilience.