“The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”
Psalm 14
In the medieval world, the figure of the fool was the embodiment of those who rejected God.
Donkey ears, cockerel head, bauble, fake glasses, these were the distinctive characteristics of the classic medieval fool.
Just as memes today are used to ridicule, so was the image of the fool often weaponised against the opposition.
But this painting in particular, goes far deeper than a mere “meme”, and provokes a much more compelling question.
The gesture of the fool looking at us through his fingers is the personification of a German expression:
‘to see through one’s fingers’- ‘to close one’s eyes to something’,
(most commonly used to describe husbands deceived by their wives-aka cuckholds)
As the expression implies, more often than not, ultimately, the only person you’re ever fooling is yourself.
As the fool stares directly at the viewer with gleaming eyes, he poses a challenging question:
What truths are you closing your eyes to?
This painting succinctly provides a social commentary on what happens when society as a whole closes its eyes in the name of “tolerance”, to sins that turn the world upside down.
What happens when we fools choose to ‘close our eyes’ to the folly of our fellows?
Or, to the folly of ourselves?
