Près Houlgate (Calvados) 1869

This is Maxime Lalanne's etching “Près Houlgate (Calvados)”. The somber landscape is dominated by rugged cliffs and scattered rocks. The rock, throughout history, has been a symbol of stability, endurance, and the immutable laws of nature. We see the rock used to convey a sense of permanence and strength, like the symbolic rock upon which Christ built his church. Yet, here, the rough, broken rocks evoke a sense of decay, mirroring the fleeting nature of human existence against the backdrop of geological time. The jagged cliffs and scattered rocks might stir a primal fear of the unpredictable forces of nature, a collective memory of cataclysms that shape the earth. Lalanne captures an emotional state—a confrontation with the sublime, where beauty and terror intertwine, engaging us on a subconscious level. The symbols of the rocks have undergone a metamorphosis, resurfacing in various guises, each time colored by the anxieties and aspirations of the age.