Portret van Albrecht Dürer 1801 - 1858

This is Moritz Steinla’s portrait of Albrecht Dürer, made in the nineteenth century. The symbol that commands our attention is Dürer's abundant, flowing hair. It harkens back to the classical motif of the “divine madman”, of a creative genius divinely touched and set apart from the mundane. Consider the busts of Roman emperors or the depictions of Apollo. This symbol of inspired frenzy is not confined to the ancient world. Think of the Romantics and their embrace of emotion. The long hair, the piercing gaze—a window into a soul ablaze with artistic fire. This imagery evokes a powerful psychological effect, tapping into our collective memory of what a "genius" should look like, stirring a subconscious recognition that transcends time. The recurrence of these symbols across epochs is not linear, but cyclical. They resurface, evolve, and are imbued with new meanings, continuing to exert their visual power.