Fabel van Phoebus en Boreas 1758

"Fabel van Phoebus en Boreas" was crafted by Johann Heinrich Meil the Elder, during an era grappling with the power of enlightenment ideals and the revival of classical themes. Here, we see the artist's interpretation of a scene where Phoebus, the sun god, clashes with Boreas, the god of the North Wind. Phoebus rides his chariot, pulled by horses, while Boreas struggles beneath him, engulfed in clouds. In a smaller depiction, a figure on horseback rides through a landscape below, possibly representing humanity’s experience of these divine forces. Meil employs a common theme in art history: the struggle of opposing forces. The print invokes questions about how power, nature, and humanity intersect in times of change. It leaves us to consider the enduring tension between enlightenment and chaos.