Portret van dichter José de Villaviciosa 1777

This print portrays the poet José de Villaviciosa, immortalized by Juan Moreno Tejada. The wreath of laurel and the burning torch at the base of the portrait offer us an insight into the world of the subject. The laurel wreath, an emblem of victory and honor since ancient Greece, entwines with the poet’s lyre. This imagery evokes Apollo, the god of music and poetry, celebrating Villaviciosa as a modern-day orator. Adjacent to the wreath, a burning torch rises. In antiquity, the torch signified enlightenment, truth, and hope. We see the torch again in Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, not only as a symbol of enlightenment but also of revolutionary change. Such symbols are not static; they pulse with the lifeblood of human experience. The choice and arrangement of such symbolic props, like the collective memory, engage us on a subconscious level with themes of creative triumph and intellectual illumination.