Jozua vermaant het volk om trouw aan God te blijven 1552 - 1616

Frans Francken the Elder created this drawing, "Joshua exhorts the people to remain faithful to God," with pen in brown, brush in gray, and gray wash. The image shows Joshua standing before a crowd, arm outstretched, in the time-honored gesture of admonition. This gesture, loaded with moral and rhetorical weight, echoes across epochs. Consider the Roman emperors raising their hands in oration or even a modern politician appealing to their constituency, the gesture persists, embodying authority and guidance. Note the idol worship taking place at the bottom of the scene. In many cultures, the destruction of idols is seen as a form of purification, a necessary step towards spiritual enlightenment. This act of destruction carries its own psychological weight. It addresses our complex relationship with belief and transformation. This drawing invites us to reflect on the eternal interplay between faith and doubt, obedience and transgression, and the enduring power of symbols to shape our collective consciousness. The symbols endure, evolve, and resurface, always speaking to the core of human experience.