De bokken c. 1830

Paulus Lauters created this artwork called 'De bokken', or 'The Bucks', using etching techniques. The prominent symbol here is the goat, historically associated with virility and untamed nature. Yet, consider its echo through time. In ancient Greece, the goat was linked to Dionysus, representing ecstasy and chaos. But observe how this symbol shifts. In the Middle Ages, the goat became demonized, a twisted inversion, embodying sin and the devil in Christian iconography. What psychological undercurrents caused this transformation? Was it fear of primal instincts, the allure of the forbidden? Here, the goat’s primal image is softened to a peaceful family scene. The cyclical nature of symbols reveals how cultural memory shapes and reshapes our deepest associations.