Park med vandløb og lille hytte 1802

This is Anton Carl Dusch's etching, a landscape with a stream and a small hut. The trees dominate the scene, their presence a symbol that has echoed through art since the earliest depictions of the Garden of Eden. Consider the tree: an ancient symbol appearing in various guises, from the Tree of Life in ancient mythologies to the family trees we use to trace our lineage. In antiquity, trees were often associated with sacred groves, places of worship and connection to the divine, and it is here in Dusch’s landscape that the trees act as silent witnesses. The modest hut offers shelter, protection. Think of similar structures depicted in religious art: humble dwellings representing purity. In this landscape, the psychological impact lies in the promise of refuge, tapping into our primal need for safety, a retreat from the untamed world. This cycle of life, growth, and shelter transcends epochs, it is a shared narrative that reminds us of our connection to nature.