Boslandschap met herders 1613 - 1695

This landscape with shepherds was etched by Nicolas Perelle in the 17th century. The trees dominate the composition, their forms reaching skyward like supplicating figures. Such arboreal imagery taps into a deep well of symbolism. Trees, since antiquity, have represented life, growth, and connection between the earthly and divine realms. Consider the Tree of Life, a motif found in various cultures, from ancient Mesopotamia to the Norse Yggdrasil. Note how the trees' branches intertwine, mirroring the interconnectedness of existence. This entanglement is not merely aesthetic; it evokes the psychological concept of the "family tree," linking us to ancestors and collective memory. This recurring motif of the forest speaks to our primal connection to nature, a yearning for the untouched wilderness that dwells deep within the human psyche. Like nature itself, such symbols resist linear progression, appearing, disappearing, and reappearing across epochs, each time imbued with new layers of meaning.