Oedipe. “- When my sword cut into his bleeding heart - You are trembling Madame - It was then that the world was falling apart,” plate ten from Physionomies tragiques 1851

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, titled “Oedipe,” as part of his “Physionomies tragiques” series. Here, we witness a pivotal moment from Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus Rex. Observe Oedipus, animated, gesticulating wildly as he recounts the events, and Jocasta, recoiling in horror, the veil upon her head a symbol of her impending doom. This posture, the averted gaze and recoiling gesture, is what I call a "Pathosformel," an archetypal expression of extreme emotion. Consider how this gesture echoes through time, appearing in countless depictions of grief or terror, from ancient Roman sculptures to Renaissance paintings. It embodies a primal, universal response to profound trauma. Think, for instance, of the women in Picasso’s "Guernica," their arms outstretched, mirroring Jocasta's horror. Daumier's genius lies in capturing this raw emotion, tapping into a collective memory of human suffering. The horror is almost unbearable; it lives through our subconscious. The image is a testament to the enduring power of classical mythology and its capacity to resonate across centuries. This echoes in cycles; it’s never truly gone; it only resurfaces to evolve again.