Reproductie van L'Hymne Mystique door Godfried Guffens 1854

This is Tony Voncken’s reproduction of Godfried Guffens's ‘L'Hymne Mystique’ Notice the upward-pointing gestures of the figures. This motif appears across cultures and epochs, from ancient Egyptian art to Renaissance paintings. What does it signify? Historically, this gesture symbolized prayer or invocation. In early Christian art, the raised hand was a direct appeal to divine intervention, echoing the believer's yearning to connect with the sacred. Consider the classical Greek orators raising their hands towards the sky as they proclaimed new laws. The gesture becomes one of power, authority, and divine endorsement. In Voncken's print, this gesture embodies both spiritual entreaty and authoritative expression, connecting individual piety with communal affirmation. Such universal gestures tap into our collective unconscious. They echo through history, resurfacing, evolving, and constantly adapting. The dynamism of symbols is a reminder of culture.