Illustratie voor de Decamerone van Boccaccio 1697

Romeyn de Hooghe etched this illustration for Boccaccio's Decameron; it’s a whirlwind of gestures and symbols, capturing a riotous scene. The most striking motif is the raised fist, seen throughout the crowd, a universal expression of anger, defiance, or unity. Consider its echoes through time: from ancient Roman battle reliefs to revolutionary posters, the raised fist embodies collective emotion. Think of Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People and its relevance to the psychological idea of collective memory and shared experience. Here, the collective rage borders on Dionysian frenzy, revealing how symbols morph and adapt. This symbol is not static; it evolves, carrying echoes of past struggles and resurfacing with renewed meaning. The fist becomes a vessel of shared identity, a testament to humanity’s cyclical dance between order and chaos.