Untitled 1986

Here we have an ‘Untitled’ artwork made by Jerome Mesnager in which a figure is pushing against a wall. This image echoes the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus, forever doomed to push a boulder uphill, only for it to roll back down. We find this motif in the Renaissance, depicting the human struggle against fate. This image touches on deep-seated anxieties about human existence, futility, and the nature of labor. The gesture of pushing is found in the iconography of Atlas, carrying the weight of the world, or even Christ carrying the cross. This motif taps into a collective consciousness of burden and sacrifice. The act of pushing, laden with the symbolism of resistance and struggle, engages viewers on a visceral level, stirring subconscious memories of our own endeavors. And so, the pushing figure resurfaces, carrying forward the enduring themes of human struggle, resistance, and resilience, evolving through time and imprinting itself anew in the cultural psyche.