De jichtlijder 1881

This comic strip by De Ruyter & Meijer, whose date is unknown, illustrates a man suffering from gout. The figure of the afflicted, swathed in blankets, immediately recalls images of martyrdom and suffering, a theme that permeates art history. Notice how this comic uses the symbol of animals throughout each scene: A goat is depicted as entering through a window, a dog is depicted biting the man on the leg, and a bear is seen on top of him. These figures may seem insignificant at first, but they have historically held symbolic weight. Often, in medieval tapestries and Renaissance paintings, animals symbolize the wild impulses of human nature, external forces that threaten our well-being. These animals represent the invasion of the irrational into the sufferer's ordered world. Throughout history, illness has often been depicted as a battle, a psychological struggle. It returns, transformed, to remind us of our shared human condition. Here, the artist evokes a psychoanalytic understanding: a deep connection to our primal fears and the subconscious understanding of vulnerability.