Melencolia I

I'm taking all of this from a book in which title I won't disclose in a hope it would not ruin the plot.

The piece of art is Albrecht Durer's. It was made in 1514.

Melencolia I consists of a brooding figure with giant wings, seated in front of a stone building, surrounded by the most disparate and bizzare collection of objects imaginable - measuring scales, an emaciated dog, carpenter's tools, an hourglass, various geometric solids, a hanging bell, a putto, a blade, a ladder.

The winged figure is a representation of "human genius" - a great thinker with chin in hand, looking depressed, still unable to achieve enlightenment. The genius is surrounded with all the symbols of his human intellect - objects of science, math, philosophy, nature, geometry, even carpentry - and yet is still unable to climb the ladder of true enlightenment. Even the human genius has difficulty comprehending the Ancient Mysteries.

This post is dedicated to all the depressed comrades. You're not alone. The sorrow is ages old.