Groep mannen en vrouwen in een interieur c. 1870 - 1899

This is a print of a scene with men and women in an interior by Frederic Charles Wentzel. The composition is divided into two distinct emotional spheres: one of celebration, the other of sorrow. Notice the act of clinging to a loved one for comfort on the left, a gesture seen throughout art history. The woman embracing another echoes images of mourners in classical friezes, but also the Madonna embracing her son, Jesus. This motif speaks to universal experiences of grief and the need for solace, ingrained in our collective consciousness. Then, on the right, the more lively action with men toasting and women flirting seems like a Dionysian revelry, yet there is a certain tension in the scene, as if masking the same fears present in the mourners. The image brings to the surface the cyclical nature of human emotions: joy and sorrow, freedom and bondage. It is a dance that continues across time, each step resonating with echoes of the past.