Seated Man with a Beard 1886

This drawing by Vincent van Gogh presents a seated, bearded man rendered with expressive lines. His hand supports his head, a gesture known across time as a symbol of Melancholia. We can see echoes of this motif in ancient depictions of mourning figures, and how it reverberates through Renaissance art. Consider Albrecht Dürer's Melancholia I; there is that same posture of introspection and weariness. Yet, while Dürer's figure is surrounded by symbols of intellectual frustration, Van Gogh strips the pose down to its raw emotional core. The symbol speaks to the cyclical nature of human experience. The pose evolves, shifts, and yet it always returns to this primal expression of inner turmoil. Van Gogh's ability to evoke this deeply rooted understanding demonstrates the enduring power of symbols, connecting us across time and culture to shared experiences of human suffering.