Landschap met de barmhartige Samaritaan bij de herberg 1673 - 1695

Nicolas Perelle created this etching, "Landscape with the Good Samaritan at the Inn," sometime in the 17th century. The composition is immediately striking, split between the ruins on the left and the solid structure of the inn on the right. Perelle uses line and form to create a visual dialogue between decay and stability. Notice how the crumbling architecture contrasts with the inn, suggesting a tension between the transience of earthly structures and the promise of refuge. Semiotically, the ruins can be read as signs of a fallen past. The play of light and shadow further enhances this contrast. The sunrise illuminates the inn, casting long shadows that emphasize the vulnerability of the figures depicted and the uneven terrain. This manipulation of perspective invites us to consider the interplay between morality, landscape, and human action. Perelle challenges us to reflect on the broader philosophical and spiritual dimensions of the biblical narrative through formal construction.