Landschap met boer en herder 1770

This etching by Simon Klapmuts depicts a rustic scene, likely made around 1770. The two men, perhaps a farmer and a shepherd, stand out. One points into the distance, a gesture that echoes throughout art history. Think back to Plato, pointing upwards in Raphael's *School of Athens*. Here, it's a much more modest gesture, yet it carries a similar weight of suggestion, of something beyond the immediate. The shepherd sits passively, reminiscent of classical figures, their contrapposto pose evoking a sense of timelessness. But what is he thinking? The gesture to the distance might express an invitation to new horizons or, from a psychoanalytic perspective, a manifestation of subconscious desires and anxieties related to the unknown. This simple act of pointing has appeared throughout time, evolving from divine indication to everyday direction. Its enduring nature speaks to our innate human desire to guide and to be guided, resonating on a profound, subconscious level. The way the pointing gesture is interpreted is not a linear progression but a cyclical one, continuously resurfacing, evolving, and adapting across various historical contexts.