Odysseus en Telemachus onderweg naar Laertes 1632 - 1633

Theodoor van Thulden etched “Odysseus and Telemachus on the Way to Laertes”, immortalizing a pivotal return. Athena, the guiding deity, hovers above, pointing the way forward, while the hero Odysseus, his son Telemachus, and companions journey onward. The act of pointing carries potent weight. We see it echoed through millennia, from ancient Egyptian art to Renaissance depictions of John the Baptist, each iteration layering new meanings upon the old. Athena’s gesture here is not merely directional, it is an assertion of divine will, a call to destiny. Consider how this contrasts with the finger-pointing in Goya's Saturn devouring his son, where the gesture signifies dread. Through collective memory, we recognize the power of the extended finger to evoke guidance, or in other contexts, to instill fear. This image engages us on a primal level, tapping into our subconscious understanding of symbols. It speaks to the eternal human longing for guidance. Thus the emotional power of this image lies in the resonance of Athena’s gesture, an enduring motif that transcends time.