Fotoreproducties van De Jager door Gabriël Metsu en Een zeestrand door Adriaen van de Velde c. 1866 - 1874

Here are two photographic reproductions of paintings, one of Gabriël Metsu’s ‘The Hunter’ and the other of Adriaen van de Velde’s ‘A Seashore’. In Metsu’s ‘The Hunter’, the dominant motif is the hunter himself, framed by a window adorned with grapevines, holding a bird. This imagery evokes a sense of earthly abundance and sensual pleasure. We see such motifs echoing through time, like in classical Roman art, where grapes symbolize fertility and the god Bacchus presides over wine and revelry. Consider the hunter: he represents not just the act of the hunt, but also the primal human drive to seek, to conquer, and to provide. This archetype appears throughout history, from ancient myths of the heroic huntsman to modern narratives of explorers and adventurers. The act of the hunt, laden with psychological weight, engages the viewer on a subconscious level, stirring primal memories and desires. These symbols progress in a non-linear fashion, resurfacing and evolving as they are reinterpreted across generations.