Beeld van Caïn met opgeheven arm 1851

This is Antoine Marie Eusèbe Voncken's rendering of Cain, made using an engraving technique. The eye is immediately drawn to the dramatic tension in Cain's posture; his body twists, and one arm is raised in what appears to be a gesture of defiance or despair. The artist uses line and shadow to sculpt Cain’s form, emphasizing his musculature and the weight of his body. Note the contrasting textures: the smoothness of his skin against the rough, draped cloth. Voncken uses these elements to explore the psychological state of a figure burdened by fratricide. Viewed through a structuralist lens, the image presents a binary opposition: the body versus the spirit, guilt versus innocence. Cain, caught in this conflict, becomes a signifier of humanity’s fallen state. The engraving prompts us to consider how meaning is constructed through visual contrasts and cultural codes.