Huis met rieten dak te Gorontalo 1821

Jannes Theodorus Bik made this watercolour painting of a house with a thatched roof in Gorontalo. Watercolour as a medium is particularly interesting here. It's portable, easy to use, and was perfect for artists traveling and documenting the world, often in service of colonial projects. Bik's delicate brushstrokes capture the texture of the thatched roof and the wooden structure, making the house seem both solid and impermanent. Consider the labor involved, both in the building of the house itself and the creation of the artwork. The house, elevated on stilts, is clearly built using local materials and techniques, reflecting the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the community. Bik's painting, in turn, documents this vernacular architecture, transforming it into an object of study and appreciation for a European audience. By focusing on the materials and the making, we can see how this seemingly simple artwork is deeply embedded in the social and economic realities of its time.