Gezicht op de Rauma before 1893

This is Paul Lange’s ‘Gezicht op de Rauma’, a landscape photograph presenting a flowing river flanked by mountains and trees. The river, coursing through the landscape, evokes ancient symbols of life and constant change, mirroring the Heraclitean idea of perpetual flux. The symbolic presence of flowing water transcends cultures and times. From the rivers of Paradise in religious texts to the waters of the underworld in Greek mythology, it represents both purification and passage. Consider the nymph Arethusa, who transformed into a spring to escape unwanted advances. Her story resonates in this image, where the river embodies transformation and freedom. The emotional depth of this scene lies in its call to our collective memory, evoking a powerful, subconscious connection to nature's eternal cycles. As water continuously carves paths through stone, it etches indelible marks in our minds, a force that resurfaces time and again in our cultural expressions.