Evocation of Kundry (2nd plate) 1883

Henri Fantin-Latour created this lithograph, Evocation of Kundry, depicting a scene of summoning or conjuring. Notice the stark contrast between the dark, cloaked figure and the ethereal woman with her arms raised in distress. The raised hand, a gesture of power and command, echoes through centuries, from ancient Egyptian art to medieval religious iconography. The woman's pose—head thrown back, arms reaching upwards—is reminiscent of figures in classical depictions of ecstasy or suffering. Consider the Maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, or even the Christian martyrs, their bodies contorted in fervent devotion or agony. This gesture of reaching—is it a plea, a surrender, or a moment of transcendence? Such expressions tap into our collective memory, a powerful force engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. The cyclical progression of this symbol, from antiquity to Wagner's opera, highlights how these primal gestures resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, reflecting our ever-changing cultural landscape.