Christus aan het volk getoond (Ecce Homo) 1596 - 1598

This engraving by Zacharias Dolendo depicts Christ presented to the people, a scene imbued with potent symbols. The suffering Christ, crowned with thorns, becomes an emblem of unjust authority, echoing through time in countless depictions of martyrdom. Observe the figure with outstretched arms in the foreground. This gesture of supplication and despair, a universal expression of human emotion, transcends cultural boundaries. We see it mirrored in ancient Greek tragedies, where characters confront fate with similar displays of anguish, revealing a deep-seated connection in our collective psyche. The image is a complex interplay of power and helplessness. The cyclical nature of history reveals how symbols, charged with emotion, continually resurface, evolving in meaning yet retaining their capacity to evoke profound responses.