Man on Horse Talking with Man on Foot n.d.

Nicolaes Berchem rendered this small drawing of two men in muted tones. The man on horseback speaks with the man on foot, and we can see how the two figures interact, establishing a visual dialogue. The horse, long a symbol of nobility and power, here serves as a divider between the two figures, the rider elevated above his counterpart. The rider, the horse, the path, and the walking man are all visual echoes that resound throughout art history. Consider equestrian statues of Roman emperors, or Renaissance paintings of triumphant generals. In those instances, the horse is a symbol of power and status. Here, the horse and rider suggest a social hierarchy. The motif of the traveler, the walker, the wanderer—recurring throughout art history— evokes feelings of longing. Whether in a religious scene or a genre painting, the horse and rider, or the man on foot, touch upon something primal in our collective memory, an echo of journeys, real or imagined.