Vlakken met plataan en klimop before 1897

This botanical study presents us with a plane tree and ivy, arranged thoughtfully. The plane tree, with its shedding bark, appears in classical contexts as a symbol of transformation and renewal, like the cyclical nature of life itself. Consider the image of Daphne, who metamorphosed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo. Here, the plane tree and ivy intertwine, climbing, clinging—echoing the Dionysian revels where ivy crowns signified ecstatic transformation. We see echoes of ancient friezes in the symmetrical arrangement of the leaves and the way the plant climbs vertically, an emotional striving. The arrangement evokes in us a sense of natural order, the ever-turning wheel of seasons, a dance of growth and decay that resonates within our collective memory. It reminds us of the deep, often subconscious, connection we have with the natural world, its beauty and its capacity for change, continuously resurfacing to reshape our understanding of existence.