Art explained by a writer - Stormy Night At Sea - Romanticism
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't Is zoo rouw, zoo bar, zoo donker;
Schipper! schipper! geef toch acht,
Gij mist maan- en stargeflonker;
Vreeslijk steekt de stormwind op,
't Schip kraakt luid van bodem tot top
't Noodweer scheurt het zeil aan flarden,
Al de gronden die gij peilt
Roepen U dat gij verzeilt
En gij 't langer niet kunt harden;
Spreek, in Gods naam! hoe het staat,
En of 't op of ondergaat.
R.H. van Someren
Fishermen, stupid farmers, each one of those Dutchmen is, thought Governor General James Loudon, and rubbed his hands, it was easy to spread a rumour. Before they would start question, the sails would be hoisted and the ship would set sail for Aceh. He had thought everything out down to the smallest detail, as befits a good strategist.
Köhler didn't feel like it. He was married and wanted to spend time with his family. He did not trust Loudon who even called the council together and asked the king to appear at the council's table. He carried out with a heavy heart. He didn't believe the gossip, the bad stories about double-dealing, theft and betrayal. Breaking the treaty.
They had a long journey ahead.
Hardships, shortage of food and drink.
No fresh fruit.
What was left to eat was rotting.
Biscuit started to mold.
The water tasted rancid.
A cheerful sound of laughter from the captain's cabin. The merchants prospered. They don't have to worry about the ship.
There had been no sight of land for months.
It was a hellish journey with nothing but headwind.
There was still no sign of the Cape of Good Hope.
Heavy weather ahead, the sailor in the crow's nest called out.
All hands on deck!
As if it wasn't hard enough already.
Those who were still able stood unsteadily on the tossing ship. Like blind men. The man on the lookout climbed out of the crow's nest with difficulty.
Storm at sea, in the middle of the night.
Hungry men, sick and weak fight to stay alive.
A life that doesn't have much to offer.
It is hunger and violence at home or hunger and violence at sea. Fatigue sets in and the buzz of adventure begins to fade.
And all this for someone else's pepper, a sailor roars into the wind. What good is pepper to a person if there is no bread crust to eat?
Another long night, when would it end?
Exhausted, the crew sat on deck when the wind finally died down.
The dreaded disease had broken out.
Was it scurvy or the plague, it was all the same.
Without healthy fruit, drinking water, most of the crew would die.
The merchants and elite did not worry as long as the ship remained intact and arrived in safe water.
All they heard was the calling of the harbour.
Stormy sea at night (1849) by Ivan Aivazovsky
The Eighty Years' War (1566–1648) was the fight of the 17 provinces (modern Netherlands, Belgium and part of Germany) against the Spanish (3) kings and their domination. After decades of struggle, Spain had to recognize the independence of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands in 1648
[source](
1566 - 1648: 80 years' war against Spain
1595 - first expedition to the Indies (Indonesia)
Köhler (born 1818 in Groningen) took part as a captain in 1856 in a punitive expedition to suppress insurgents in the Lampung District (Indonesia).
He was killed by a bullet while leading the First Aceh Expedition in 1873. The shooter is unknown.
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Compagnie 'de Verre' (Amsterdam), one of the predecessors of the VOC, sent an expedition to the Indies. The fleet consisted of the ships 'Hollandia', 'Amsterdam', 'Mauritius' and 'Het Duyfken'
On April 2, 1595, the very first expedition fleet left the island of Texel (Netherlands) for the Indies (Indonesia).
source
R.H. van Someren wrote the poem: Zeereis met het schip Hollandia (Sea Voyage with the ship Hollandia), Kapitein Willem Willemszoon in het jaar der non-interventie (2nd edition 1931)
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Header/Photogrid: Canva
Picture: public domain
Style of art: Romanticism
23-4-2024
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