The title of the Painting is an allusion to a study of Freud on Michel Angelo: the psychologist had believed he discovered in one of the paintings of the Master a bird involuntarily dissimulated in the folds of draped cloth, whereas it was well obvious that it was Freud himself who " had seen " this appearance created by his own unconscious projections. Originally, the picture is inspired by a text of Arthur Koestler describing a group of old persons sitting on a bank, each one locked up in his interior loneliness. The group can still be found in the shop window as well as at the top part, in the public square.

The inspiration then moved towards the Psychology of C.G.Jung in parallel with a deep search in speculative Alchemy which largely influenced some of the settings in the general scene: the basin in the egg shape from where the spiral of light spouts out, and various other symbolic aspects which the initiate will be able to read and interpret. The aesthetic aspect is reinforced by the central column of colors which connects them various appearances of S. Freud (see links on the left). The mixing of two different periods in the clothing (middle of XXth century and Middle age) sets up a link from Psychology to Alchemy.The title " Arts and Antiquities " which is registered in transparency on the shop window has also a meaning ....
The preparation of the picture required more than one year, many pre-drawings, the realization extended on more than eight month.