Twee Snoeken in een aquarium, van opzij en van voren gezien c. 1876 - 1924

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof created this watercolor artwork, "Two Pikes in an Aquarium, Seen from the Side and Front," using watercolor. Here, the pike, a creature often lurking in murky waters, becomes an emblem of hidden depths. Fish, as a symbol, stretches back through millennia, from ancient fertility cults to Christian iconography, where it represents abundance, faith, and transformation. Consider the early Christians, who used the fish as a covert sign of their belief, a symbol of recognition and shared identity. The pike, however, introduces a twist. Unlike the benevolent fish of religious art, the pike is a predator, its image evoking primal instincts and lurking dangers. It carries an emotional charge, stirring both fascination and unease. The symbol of the fish is never fixed. Like a river, it flows and changes, carrying different meanings in different currents of history.