Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van een rokende man door Willem Linnig (II) before 1896

This is a photographic reproduction by Alexandre van Antro of a painting, "Le Fumeur," by Willem Linnig II, depicting a man in repose, smoking. The gesture of smoking, the hand raised to the mouth, is ancient, appearing in various forms across cultures. In ancient Mesoamerica, priests and shamans used tobacco in ritualistic ceremonies to communicate with the gods. Similarly, in European art, the pipe and tobacco came to symbolize contemplation, leisure, and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures. Think of Dutch Golden Age paintings, where smoking often accompanies scenes of daily life, serving as a memento mori. The act of smoking is not merely a physical act, but a symbolic one, imbued with layers of meaning passed down through collective memory. It speaks to our subconscious understanding of time, pleasure, and mortality, a continuous thread weaving through the tapestry of human experience, constantly evolving yet intrinsically linked to its origins.