Gunung Api gezien vanuit zeestraat het Zonnegat 1821

Jannes Theodorus Bik made this watercolor of Gunung Api from the Zonnegat Strait, likely in 1826. Bik was a Dutch artist, and this work reflects the Dutch presence in the East Indies. The image presents a serene view, yet it's important to consider the historical context. The Dutch East India Company exerted significant colonial power over the region. Landscapes like this were often commissioned by or created for the colonizers, serving to document and, in a way, claim the territory. It's an image imbued with the power dynamics of the time. How does the act of depicting a landscape contribute to the assertion of control? We need to look at travel accounts, company records, and other visual materials to fully understand the relationship between artistic production and colonial expansion. Art history, in this case, is intertwined with the history of empire.