Drie pinguïns 1878 - 1906

Theo van Hoytema's print of three penguins offers a stark study in monochrome. In their upright stance, their heads are tilted skyward, as if drawn by celestial movements, they take on an almost human gravitas. Consider the penguin, a creature of the liminal Antarctic, straddling land and sea. Their stark black and white plumage, echoed in Hoytema’s lithograph, links them to the alchemical process of nigredo—a symbolic death or purification that precedes transformation. These birds remind me of ancient Egyptian deities with animal heads; the collective memory of mankind is rich in hybrid forms, beings that negotiate the boundaries between worlds. The penguins’ gaze, directed to an unseen point above, evokes a yearning for transcendence, a theme ever-present in the human psyche. This image, though seemingly simple, resonates with primal, archetypal symbols. The penguins, frozen in a moment of hopeful anticipation, are a potent reminder of our own aspirations and spiritual longings. The symbolic journey continues, a vital thread in the grand tapestry of human expression.