Ramon Casas And Pere Romeu On A Tandem 1897

Ramón Casas captured this scene of two men on a tandem bicycle with charcoal and gouache. The bicycle itself, a symbol of modernity and freedom, carries the weight of these figures—the bearded men who also carry the weight of the society. Note how the figures echo the ancient Greek statues of athletes and heroes, yet they’re grounded by the earthly reality of the bicycle and attire of the time. Like the winged sandals of Hermes, the bicycle becomes a modern attribute of swift passage and connection. This pairing evokes earlier depictions of mythical duos, such as Castor and Pollux, forever bound together in a shared destiny. Here, the repetition of the bicycle's form and the men’s matching outfits suggest a mirroring, reflecting the shared experience of life, with all its forward momentum and unavoidable balancing act. The image acts as a symbolic wheel, ever turning, ever bringing us back to the fundamental human desire for connection and progress, intertwined.