Bosrijk landschap met een vrouw en een jongen 1785 - 1857

This landscape with a woman and a boy was made by Gerrit Jan Michaëlis, using etching techniques. A dominant element is the trees, scattered throughout the landscape, which have always served as a profound symbol in art, representing the connection between heaven and earth. Now, consider the trees in other works, such as those by Caspar David Friedrich. His trees embody the sublime, evoking feelings of awe and introspection; but the presence of figures, like in this etching, draws from the art of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, in which the figures are meant to set the scale, but also have an emotional impact. The path guides us into the depths of the woods. This motif of the "pathway," appearing as a metaphor of life's journey, taps into our collective unconscious. Like Ariadne's thread, it leads one to the heart of the labyrinth. In this landscape, one feels a deep, primal connection to nature. This etching, with its visual pathway, and its enduring motifs, invites us to reflect on the cyclical nature of symbols in art. They resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts, continuously engaging us on a subconscious level.