Man in aanbidding voor zijn geliefde ballerina c. 1895

Henri-Gabriel Ibels captured this image of a man in adoration of his beloved ballerina in a print. The man kneels, his posture reminiscent of supplicants in religious art, symbolizing reverence. This act of worship is contrasted with the ballerina's poised stance, embodying grace. Kneeling has always signified supplication across cultures, appearing in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian art, and later Christian iconography, signifying humility before the divine. Here, it speaks of secular devotion. But has the man deified the ballerina? Has he seen her as an idol rather than a human? This echoes through time; from religious contexts to personal obsessions, revealing a collective subconscious need to elevate and idealize. The image evokes powerful emotions, stirring our own memories and experiences of longing and admiration. The cyclical nature of human emotion is on full display: the act of worship is not confined to religious contexts, but reappears transformed in the theater of personal affections.