The Buildings of the Asiatic Company, seen from St. Annæ Street 

Vilhelm Hammershøi painted "The Buildings of the Asiatic Company, seen from St. Annæ Street" using oil on canvas. Observe the archway, a symbol laden with historical weight. Arches, throughout time and across cultures, have signified transitions and passages, like the Roman triumphal arches that celebrated military victories. Here, however, Hammershøi's archway presents a void, a threshold leading to an indistinct space, embodying a sense of melancholy. The motif echoes in Renaissance paintings depicting the "Annunciation", where arches frame divine encounters. Yet, unlike the Renaissance arch, Hammershøi's offers no clear revelation. It becomes a vessel for psychological projection, mirroring our anxieties about the unknown. The arch, then, is not merely a structural element; it's a psychological gate, constantly resurfacing, evolving in form and meaning, inviting us to confront our deepest uncertainties.