Slapende jonge vrouw 1870

Jean-Baptiste Van Rooy created this delicate etching of a sleeping young woman. The pose, reminiscent of classical sculptures of reclining figures, invites us to contemplate themes of vulnerability and repose. Consider how this pose echoes the sleep of Endymion, watched over by the moon goddess Selene, or even echoes of the Virgin Mary. This motif is a constant through the ages. The vulnerability of sleep makes the sleeper a passive object of our gaze, and this has been a recurrent theme in art and culture from ancient times to the present. The sleeping figure resonates with profound psychological implications, conjuring the subconscious, dreams, and the hidden aspects of the human psyche. This image invites us into a space of introspection, blurring the boundaries between the visible and the invisible, the conscious and the unconscious, highlighting the enduring human fascination with states of altered awareness and the mysteries they hold.