Rijke man en de Dood 1670 - 1724

This print, "Rich Man and Death," was created by Jacob Gole in the late 17th or early 18th century using the technique of engraving. The composition is divided into contrasting realms: on the left, a richly dressed man engrossed with his wealth, and on the right, Death personified as a skeleton playing a violin. The diagonals of the composition create a dynamic tension, the dark tonality conveying a sense of foreboding. Gole manipulates light and shadow to amplify the dramatic effect of the scene. Notice how the texture and materiality of the engraving are used to distinguish between the textures of skin, cloth, and bone. This serves to emphasize the transience of earthly possessions and the inevitability of death. The semiotic play underscores how visual art challenges our fixed meanings associated with wealth, time and mortality.