Portret van Louis-Michel van Loo met een portret van zijn vader 1779

This engraving by Simon Charles Miger, realized in 1779, portrays Louis-Michel van Loo alongside an image of his father. Here, we observe the artist's gaze—a motif resonating through the ages. The gaze, as a symbol, transcends mere observation; it embodies power, insight, and the transmission of knowledge. Consider the countless portraits across history where the subject's eyes command our attention, from ancient Roman busts to Renaissance Madonnas. The act of looking, of bearing witness, is intrinsically linked to memory and identity. This is reminiscent of ancient ancestor portraits, which served as a conduit to connect with the wisdom of past generations. The careful depiction of the eyes mirrors the collective desire to transcend mortality and establish the continuum of generations. Such visual recursions underscore how deeply embedded are these emotional and psychological echoes within our cultural consciousness. As these symbols resurface, they carry with them fragments of our shared human story.