Man met ontbloot bovenlijf, op de rug gezien before 1885

This is a photograph by Charles Edward Cormack, and depicts a man with a bare torso seen from behind. The image is striking in its simplicity, yet it calls forth complex questions about vulnerability. The bare back, a motif that goes back centuries in art, is laden with symbolic weight. Think of the flagellants of the Middle Ages, whose exposed backs signified penance. Or consider the countless representations of Christ bearing the cross. The vulnerability of the bare back remains a potent symbol. Here, in this photographic rendering, the exposed torso could be a way to convey the subject's internal state, almost as if laying bare the soul itself. One can see a deep-seated element of collective memory, echoing through centuries of art and ritual, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. These symbols are not linear, but cyclical, resurfacing, evolving, and acquiring new meanings in different contexts.