Thinker (Le penseur) 

Alphonse Legros rendered "The Thinker" in etching, capturing a moment of quiet contemplation. The image is dominated by the figure of an old man, bent over, his head resting upon his hand, and his elbow propped on a walking stick. This posture echoes across time, reminiscent of depictions of melancholic philosophers and hermits from antiquity to the Renaissance. Consider Michelangelo's "Penseroso" in the Medici Chapel, sharing the same inward focus, a universal symbol of deep thought. The motif of the leaning figure, burdened by thought or sorrow, taps into our collective memory, resonating with shared experiences of introspection and contemplation. The image's power lies in its ability to stir within us the recognition of our own moments of doubt and despair, of weary introspection, connecting us to the timeless human condition. This symbol is non-linear, surfacing, evolving, and taking on new meanings in different historical contexts.