Bergen en een dorp aan de Rijn c. 1860 - 1865

Maria Vos made this pencil drawing of Bergen en een dorp aan de Rijn, or Mountains and a village on the Rhine. Here, the mountains act as silent watchers, embracing the village by the river, a motif that carries echoes from ancient times. We find similar protective mountainscapes in works across eras and cultures, from the sacred mountains of Chinese landscape painting to the sheltering hills in Renaissance depictions of the Madonna. Consider, for instance, the triangular arrangement of figures in a Deposition scene, echoing the shape of a mountain – a visual metaphor for stability and refuge. The mountains, ever-present, evoke a psychological sense of security and enclosure. This composition taps into our collective memory, stirring deep-seated emotions of safety and belonging. The human need for shelter and orientation remains constant through time. Thus, in Maria Vos's simple sketch, we see not just a landscape, but a recurring echo of humanity's quest for sanctuary, a motif that continues to resonate across the ages.