Portrait 

This portrait by George Bouzianis is an echo of artistic traditions, rendered with a modern sensibility. The hat, a prominent feature, speaks of social identity and status, reminiscent of similar headwear in Dutch Golden Age portraits, yet here, it seems to shield, to obscure, rather than to display. Consider the hands clasped, almost defensively—a gesture laden with centuries of art historical precedent, from Dürer’s praying hands to countless portraits of nobility. But in Bouzianis's depiction, there is an anxiety, a psychological tension that transcends mere representation. The motif of clasped hands also appears in funerary art, where it may symbolize farewell, or an individual's solitude in the face of death. This can be seen in ancient Roman sarcophagi, in which the deceased's hands are often carved in a similar position, reflecting a deep-seated cultural concern with mortality. Ultimately, the artwork reminds us of the cyclical nature of symbols, how they resurface, transformed by time, yet still resonant with primal, collective memories.