Een vrouw luistert naar een man met een panfluit 1856 - 1857

This stereoscopic card, created by John Reynolds, presents a dual image of a pastoral scene. The composition draws us in with its symmetrical layout, showing a woman listening to a man playing a pan flute, set against a backdrop of trees and distant hills. The figures are deliberately posed, almost staged, which invites us to consider the artwork as a constructed representation rather than a spontaneous snapshot. Reynolds uses the stereoscopic format not merely to replicate depth, but to enhance the artificiality of the scene. The figures are rendered through a semiotic lens. The woman is depicted as passive receptivity and the man embodies active creation. The cool tones of the landscape contrast with the warm hues of the figures clothing, further highlighting the division between nature and culture. Reynolds prompts a reflection on the act of viewing itself. Through its self-conscious construction, the artwork reveals that what we see is always mediated, challenging our assumptions about realism and representation.