Schlafender an bewaldetem Flussufer 

Peter Becker sketched this scene of a sleeping figure by a wooded riverbank. The posture of the sleeping figure—prone, limbs relaxed, and head gently inclined—echoes classical depictions of Endymion, the eternally youthful shepherd beloved by the moon goddess Selene. This motif of the sleeping figure carries a powerful emotional resonance. Throughout art history, sleep has been represented as a space of vulnerability, dreams, and subconscious desires. We see it re-emerge in various forms, like Caravaggio's "Sleeping Cupid," where sleep hints at innocence lost, or in Romantic paintings where slumber symbolizes a retreat from the world's harsh realities. The image taps into a deep, shared human experience. Sleep invites introspection, symbolizing a psychological state where the boundary between the self and the external world blurs. The persistence of this motif, evolving through centuries, testifies to its enduring psychological and emotional power.