Drie wachtende marktkooplui 1862

Pieter van Loon captured this market scene with ink and brush, in 1802. The waiting figures, their arms crossed, are universal symbols of anticipation and perhaps, a touch of resignation. Observe the recurring motif of crossed arms, echoing postures of introspection found in ancient sculptures. In the cross-legged Buddhas of the East, the gesture signifies meditation, yet in Van Loon's merchants, it speaks more to the anxiety of commerce. One may even recognize a distant echo of the mourning Virgin Mary in the woman's draped head. The gesture is reborn through history, each time colored by its context. In its various iterations, it reveals our deep, shared reservoir of emotional expression. Doesn't it remind us that we are all, in some way, always waiting?