Ruïne van een tempel: tweede droom 1894

Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel made this print, "Ruïne van een tempel: tweede droom", or "Ruin of a Temple: Second Dream," in the Netherlands at the turn of the twentieth century. Its imagery may strike us as somewhat enigmatic. De Bazel was a Dutch architect, designer, and theosophist, and this print reflects those interests. Here we see the theosophical symbol of two triangles, one pointing up and one pointing down, enclosed within a circle of stars. Below, an androgynous figure kneels in what seems to be prayer, light radiating from their head. De Bazel's print is a product of its time, a moment in which some artists turned away from traditional religious institutions toward more esoteric spiritual practices. We can understand the image better by researching the theosophical society, a late 19th-century organization that promoted the study of comparative religion and the search for universal truths. Understanding art means understanding the cultural conditions that gave rise to it. The art historian's task is to trace those connections.