Nick Bottom als Pyramus, nackt, stehend, nach links c. 1867 - 1868

This is Paul Konewka's pencil drawing of Nick Bottom as Pyramus, now held at the Städel Museum. The tragic figure of Pyramus, posed here nude, embodies the archetype of the suffering lover. Consider the gesture of his outstretched arms. It echoes the poses of ancient orators, yet here, it signifies not power but profound vulnerability. This open stance, reminiscent of figures in classical lamentation scenes, taps into a shared emotional language. We can see similar motifs in depictions of martyrs or even in the gestures of figures in Renaissance paintings expressing grief or spiritual agony. The enduring appeal of this image is found in our shared human experience, the perpetual cycle of love, loss, and the echo of these primal emotions across centuries of art. It’s a potent reminder of how deeply rooted these emotional symbols are in our collective unconscious.