War, from Virtues and Vices 1596 - 1597

Zacharias Dolendo etched "War, from Virtues and Vices" around 1600, and it pulses with symbols of a timeless, brutal dance. Here, War is not just a figure but an embodiment, crowned with snakes reminiscent of Medusa, a shield bearing a hand, and a landscape ablaze with conflict. This serpent-crowned figure echoes through time. We see it in ancient depictions of Furies, spirits of vengeance, their hair writhing with snakes, embodying madness. The shield, a protective barrier, becomes an aggressive extension, a hand grasping for more. The landscape is not passive; it is an active participant, mirroring the chaos within the central figure. These motifs are not static; they evolve. The Furies transform from divine punishers to psychological projections of inner turmoil. This reflects how collective memory and subconscious processes influence the production and interpretation of symbols. Viewers are engaged on a subconscious level as the image evokes intense emotional states. And so, the cycle continues, symbols resurfacing, evolving, and taking on new meanings, each iteration echoing the past while speaking to the present.