Detailstudies van vissen, met kleurnotities 1876 - 1924

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof created these "Detailstudies van vissen, met kleurnotities" with graphite. Here, we see studies of fish—their eyes, fins, and scales meticulously outlined. Fish have long carried symbolic weight, representing fertility, transformation, and the subconscious depths. Think of early Christian art, where the fish symbolized Christ, or ancient mythologies where fish were sacred beings bridging the earthly and spiritual realms. Consider the motif of the fish eye. Dijsselhof captures its glassy, unblinking stare. This same gaze echoes through art history—from ancient Egyptian depictions of sacred animals to the all-seeing eyes in Renaissance portraits. The eye, a window to the soul, becomes a powerful force, engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. We are reminded of our own mortality, and the inscrutable nature of life itself. Symbols such as the fish are never static, they resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts.