Staande man bij een stier 1659 - 1709

This unassuming etching, "Standing Man with a Bull," features a peasant resting his hand on a bull, rendered with simple lines. The bull itself is a potent symbol. From ancient Crete, where bulls were central to Minoan religious rituals, to the bull-god Apis in Egypt, the bull represents virility, power, and fertility. The bull-headed Minotaur of Greek myth embodies untamed, primal forces, lurking in the labyrinth of the subconscious. The man's placid gesture, juxtaposed with the latent power of the bull, speaks to our enduring relationship with nature – a taming, perhaps, but also a recognition of its inherent strength. This tableau echoes through time, appearing in pastoral scenes across cultures, each time subtly shifting, yet carrying the enduring weight of our collective memory and primal instincts. This image, like those before, taps into our deep-seated connection with the natural world, evoking feelings of awe, respect, and a certain primal recognition.