Man op Place Saint-André in Grenoble, Frankrijk, met rechts het standbeeld van de ridder Bayard 1850 - 1900

This photograph captures the Place Saint-André in Grenoble, featuring the statue of the knight Bayard. Equestrian statues have long served as symbols of power and valor, echoing back to antiquity. The rearing horse, a motif we see repeated through the centuries, from the Roman emperors to Renaissance condottieri, speaks to the potency of leadership. Consider how the gesture of the raised arm, here seen in Bayard, resurfaces again and again – a symbol of command, of imparting divine blessing, or of signaling triumph. This gesture appears in ancient Roman sculptures, Christian iconography, and even revolutionary art. It is a primal expression of authority and the will to lead, connecting us to the collective unconscious that binds our past to our present. These symbols resonate with us on a deep level, igniting our collective memory and eliciting emotions tied to power and leadership. They continually resurface and evolve, shaped by history yet driven by a powerful, underlying human drive.