Ontwerp voor raam in het Nederlands Paviljoen op de tentoonstelling Arts Décoratifs te Parijs, 1925

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst conceived this design for a window at the 1925 Arts Décoratifs exhibition in Paris. A man and an ox are yoked together, a symbol deeply embedded in the collective memory of agrarian societies. This image harkens back to ancient myths and rituals where the ox, a symbol of strength and fertility, was central. The act of yoking, of binding man and beast, is a visual metaphor for the toil and burden of existence. It echoes through time, resurfacing in various guises, from the Minoan bull-leaping ceremonies to depictions of laborers in the fields. The linked figures here evoke a profound psychological tension, a struggle between control and submission, a dance as old as civilization itself. The weight of the yoke, the shared burden, it’s a visual motif of power dynamics, that resonates even today. It taps into primal emotions, fears, and aspirations—urges that continue to shape our world.