Geit en een schaap 1754

This etching, by Joseph Roos, presents a pastoral scene of a goat and sheep in repose. Observe the goat, its beard and horns rendered with a sense of wildness, a stark contrast to the sheep lying placidly beside it. Since antiquity, the goat has been a symbol laden with duality, representing both fertility and untamed, primal urges. We see echoes of this in the horned god Pan of the Greeks, a figure of nature's chaotic, sensual forces. The sheep, conversely, often symbolizes innocence, purity, and vulnerability, a sacrificial figure across cultures. The juxtaposition of these animals is not merely a depiction of rural life, but a potent visual metaphor. Consider the contrasting textures: the goat's coarse hair against the sheep's soft wool. It evokes a deep-seated, perhaps subconscious, recognition of opposing forces—the Apollonian and Dionysian, order and chaos. The image becomes a field where viewers project their own understanding of these enduring archetypes. This is not a linear progression but a cyclical return of symbols, resurfacing in new forms, always echoing the past.