Ingang van de Passage in Zandvoort c. 1890 - 1900

A. Bakels Sr. captured the entrance of the Passage in Zandvoort with this photograph. The glass-covered arcade, a marvel of modern commerce, is framed by classical architectural motifs. Notice the keystone above the arch, a vestige of Roman engineering, here adorned with a grotesque mask. Such masks, apotropaic symbols, were meant to ward off evil, echoing ancient rituals and superstitions. Think of similar faces carved into Gothic cathedrals, and even further back to the gorgons on Greek temples. These 'faces' are not merely decorative; they are charged with a primal power, an attempt to control unseen forces. This image plays upon the tension between the modern, commercial space and the ancient, almost subconscious need for protection and order, demonstrating how new forms integrate the symbols of the old. A cycle continues, an endless return.