Twee geitenkoppen 1862

Here, Jean Louis Van Kuyck etches two goat heads. The goat, an ancient symbol, carries a heavy burden of meaning from fertility and vitality to scapegoating and the demonic. In ancient Greece, the goat was associated with Dionysus, embodying raw instinct. This contrasts starkly with its later role in Christian iconography, where it often represents the damned, separated from the flock of God. Even now we see echoes of this in the way society unconsciously ascribes negative traits to those deemed 'outsiders.' Observe how Van Kuyck captures the animal's gaze—there's an unsettling quality. It is as if these creatures hold a primal knowledge, a connection to the untamed aspects of human nature. This psychological tension has engaged viewers for centuries, reflecting our own internal conflicts between reason and instinct. Thus, the goat's image persists, each appearance a palimpsest of past meanings, revealing the cyclical nature of symbols and their power to evoke deep-seated emotional responses.