5.12 Conclusion
For Jan Hendrik Koelman personally, the confrontation with Rome and Italian culture and society set in motion a process of ‘identity reassessment’. This was accompanied by a dynamic of distancing himself from his Dutchness while, paradoxically, cherishing and even cultivating his origins. At the same time, it was characterised by an embrace of Italian life and even Italian political ideals. His artistic and social positions confronted him – intentionally or not – time and again with his Dutch identity.
For his Dutch critics and admirers, in art or politics, that Dutch perspective remained the measure of all things. The story of Jan Hendrik Koelman thus illustrates the role of ‘cultural brokers’ that artists played in the exchange between Italy and the Netherlands – just like travellers, writers and translators. Thanks to intermediaries such as Jan Hendrik Koelman, Italy was able to act as a mirror for Dutch culture and society, even for those who had never travelled south.