Allegorische vrouwfiguur met een fakkel en een lantaarn boven een stad 1836 - 1912

This allegorical image by Isaac Weissenbruch presents a female figure floating above a city, rendered in ink on paper. The immediate visual impression is one of ethereal lightness, achieved through the delicate linework and the figure's dynamic pose. Note how the artist employs hatching to model forms, creating a sense of depth and volume. The composition is divided horizontally: below, a detailed cityscape with sharp architectural lines; above, the allegorical woman, wreathed, bearing a torch in one hand and a lantern in the other. This division can be interpreted through a semiotic lens. The city below represents the earthly realm of the known, illuminated by knowledge and progress from above. The formal tension between the static, grounded city and the floating figure suggests an ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation. This artwork challenges fixed meanings. It asks us to reconsider the relationship between the material world and abstract ideas.