Kale boom 1876 - 1924

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof sketched this Kale Boom using graphite. The bare branches stretch skyward, a symbol as old as time itself. Consider the Tree of Life, depicted across countless cultures, reaching from earthly roots to heavenly aspirations. In Dijsselhof's rendering, the absence of leaves might suggest winter, a period of dormancy, or even a starker metaphor for mortality and resilience. This bare tree echoes images found in early medieval art, where stark, leafless trees often symbolized death and rebirth, a cycle as eternal as nature itself. The skeletal form, rendered with such delicate precision, evokes a powerful emotional response, touching on our collective memory of nature's cycles and the human condition. The motif reappears through history, transformed yet still resonant, reminding us of the enduring power of symbols to reflect our deepest fears and hopes across time.