Gezicht op het Stadhuis aan de Grote Markt te Brussel 1755 - 1779

Here we have an image made by the Kaiserlich Franziskische Akademie, a view of the City Hall on the Grote Markt in Brussels. Dominating the composition is the city hall's tower, stretching skyward—a visual assertion of civic pride and power. Such towers, throughout history, have always served as symbols. Think of the Tower of Babel, ambitious yet doomed. The tower appears in many guises across time: as religious minarets calling to prayer, or as fortifications signaling military might. Over time, the tower becomes less about immediate function and more about aspiration—reaching for something beyond our grasp. Psychologically, the tower embodies ambition and the subconscious desire to leave a mark on the world. It is a cultural touchstone that engages viewers on a primal, subconscious level. Thus, the tower is not just stone and mortar, but a symbol of collective yearning that rises, falls, and rises again in the human psyche.