Tiresias drinkt het bloed van het offer 1632 - 1633

Theodoor van Thulden created this print, "Tiresias drinkt het bloed van het offer," sometime in the 17th century. The eye is immediately drawn to the convergence of lines and figures, creating a scene that is as much about spatial organization as it is about narrative. Notice how the bodies are arranged—some upright, others prostrate. This is not merely a depiction of an event, but a structured composition that invites us to consider the relationships between these figures and the space they occupy. Van Thulden uses line to delineate form and texture, particularly in the drapery and musculature. What we see here is not just an illustration but an exploration of form. The act of drinking blood takes on a different weight when viewed through the lens of structuralism; blood, as a signifier, destabilizes the established categories of the sacred and the profane. It invites a semiotic interpretation, engaging with the cultural codes of sacrifice, power, and knowledge. The artwork does not offer a fixed meaning, but rather opens a space for ongoing interpretation.