A young naked man standing at left leaning on the trunk, another seen from behind, holding two snakes in his right hand and a convex mirror in his raised left hand 1505 - 1515

Marcantonio Raimondi created this engraving, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, using delicate lines to construct a scene with two male figures in a landscape. The composition is strikingly symmetrical, with one figure facing us and the other turned away, creating a visual push and pull. Notice how Raimondi uses line and form to explore themes of reflection and duality. The figure on the right, holding snakes and a mirror, seems to be grappling with self-perception. The snakes, traditional symbols of transformation, combined with the mirror, suggests a deep dive into the psyche. This is juxtaposed with the contemplative figure leaning on the tree. The landscape, rendered with sparse yet precise lines, serves as a stage for this introspective drama. It invites us to contemplate the complexities of human nature and the search for identity, echoing philosophical inquiries into the self and its representations. The print serves as a site of ongoing interpretation, where form and content converge to provoke thought and reflection.