Een man doet hurkend zijn behoefte bij een boom 1670 - 1690

Jan van Mieris created this print depicting a man relieving himself by a tree. The act, seemingly base, is imbued with deeper significance when viewed through the lens of art history. Consider the motif of the squatting figure across cultures, from ancient fertility rituals to modern expressions of protest. The open display of bodily functions challenges social norms, harking back to pre-civilized states where such acts were unburdened by shame. The contorted face of the man, caught between discomfort and necessity, echoes the grimaces of figures in scenes of martyrdom or divine ecstasy. This connection suggests a psychological link between physical experience and heightened states of being. We see this tension mirrored in religious art, where pain and transcendence often intertwine. Such images resurface throughout history, each time evolving, accumulating new layers of meaning, yet always tied to the primal, universal experiences of the human condition.