Illustration for Božena Němcová's Fairy Tales 

Artuš Scheiner created this illustration for Božena Němcová's fairy tales, capturing a scene ripe with symbolic imagery. Notice the floating castle above a red sea, evoking a dreamlike state, an otherworldly vision that recalls ancient myths of inaccessible realms. The raised arms of the figure, a gesture of awe and supplication, resonate across cultures. We see it echoed in depictions of orants in early Christian art, and in the ecstatic poses of shamans reaching for the divine. This gesture transcends mere observation, embodying a primal yearning for connection with forces beyond human comprehension. The castle, suspended in air, becomes a potent symbol, a locus for our collective desires and fears, a mirage reflecting our deepest aspirations. This motif appears throughout history, shifting from sacred temples to secular palaces, each iteration imbued with the weight of cultural memory and the restless spirit of human longing.