Entry Valois 

Jan Matejko painted "Entry Valois" portraying a historical scene marked by the arrival of French royalty. The visual elements are dominated by the figure of a rider on a horse, a symbol of power and authority that dates back to antiquity. The horse, rearing up, is reminiscent of equestrian statues meant to convey dominance. We see this motif recurring through time, from Roman emperors to Renaissance rulers, each epoch imbuing it with its own nuances of meaning. The canopy held aloft, another symbol of status, reminds us of similar structures in religious processions, transforming the king’s entry into a sacred event. The collective memory associated with such displays creates an emotional charge, and the artist taps into this. The very act of painting historical events like this serves as a form of cultural preservation. Just as motifs evolve, so too does our understanding of the past, and how it haunts the present.