Landschap met bomen en twee wandelaars c. 1811

Andreas Schelfhout rendered this landscape with trees and two wanderers using pen in brown. The forest's edge, a motif found throughout art history, here speaks of a threshold between the known and the unknown. Consider the forest in classical antiquity, a place of untamed nature, inhabited by gods and mythical creatures. The forest is not merely a physical space but a psychological one, representing our deepest fears and desires. This symbolism echoes through medieval tapestries and Renaissance paintings, where the forest is often a backdrop for moral trials and spiritual awakenings. Even in modern art, the forest retains its symbolic power, representing the subconscious mind, a space of mystery and potential danger. The two wanderers, dwarfed by the looming trees, seem to embody our vulnerability in the face of nature's overwhelming force. The forest’s recurring presence is not an accident; it is a testament to its enduring psychological resonance as it evokes feelings of awe and trepidation, an eternal motif that continues to haunt our collective imagination.