Portret van de schilder Auguste Serrure, ten voeten uit 1861

This photograph by Joseph Dupont captures the painter Auguste Serrure. Serrure leans nonchalantly against a chair, a cigarette held loosely in his hand. The cigarette, a symbol of modernity and leisure, speaks to the changing times. Yet, it also echoes ancient motifs. Consider the symposiums of antiquity, where wine and discourse intertwined. Similarly, the cigarette here becomes an attribute of intellectual life, a tool of contemplation. In earlier paintings, a skull might symbolize mortality; here, the ephemeral smoke hints at the fleeting nature of existence, a memento mori for the modern age. We see how symbols are charged with emotion and are handed down through time, evolving in meaning yet still resonating with our deepest fears and desires. The image engages us on a deep, subconscious level. Note that the cigarette is not a modern invention; it has, in fact, resurfaced, evolving from ancient rituals and taking on new meanings in our own historical context.