Bredestraat in Leiden verlicht 1855

Carel Christiaan Antony Last created this print of the Bredestraat in Leiden, capturing the street illuminated with light. The use of light here is more than mere illumination; it's a symbol of revelation, echoing the sacred connotations of light found in religious art. Think of the “Lux Nova,” the new light in Gothic cathedrals, promising divine presence. Here, however, the light is secular, a civic illumination. Yet, the flags, hanging like ancient Roman vexilla, suggest an authority or power. The lighted street brings to mind other festivals of light throughout history. From ancient Roman festivals of torches, to the Renaissance “feste” illuminated with candles and fireworks, the act of lighting up the night has always been a means of communal expression and psychological release. The collective effervescence, as Durkheim would call it, engages viewers on a deep, subconscious level. The symbol of light, once solely divine, now merges with the civic and the communal. It ebbs and flows, taking on new meanings as it surges through the ages.