Stadttor mit Kutsche c. 1912

Egon Schiele crafted this watercolor, "Stadttor mit Kutsche," capturing a town gate with a carriage. Atop the gate stands a rooster, a symbol stretching back to antiquity, often associated with vigilance and the break of day. The rooster's presence reminds me of its recurrence across various epochs—from ancient Greek pottery, where it signified virility, to its Christian adaptation as an emblem of resurrection and faith, recalling Peter's denial of Christ. Consider how this symbol, originally pagan, was absorbed and transformed, mirroring the cultural syncretism I have come to appreciate. One sees this motif re-emerge, reinvented and adapted. The rooster, in its essence, is reborn, embodying the persistence of primal symbols within our collective consciousness. It is a cultural palimpsest, each layer adding new nuance while the original form endures, stirring something deep within us.