Landschap met bomen aan een waterkant c. 1891

Egbert Rubertus Derk Schaap rendered this landscape with trees along a waterfront in pencil. The bare trees, reaching skyward with their skeletal branches, strike a particularly resonant chord. Consider the motif of the tree, so often a symbol of life, growth, and connection between the earthly and the divine. In ancient mythologies, trees were often seen as sacred entities, embodiments of spirits, and gateways to other worlds. Yet, here, the leafless state conveys something more poignant. The drawing elicits a sense of nature's dormant power, a state of expectancy pregnant with renewed vitality. The stark lines against the water’s reflection evoke a somber mood, stirring within us the melancholic beauty of the natural cycle. Just as the tree sheds its leaves to endure the winter, so too must we confront our own periods of barrenness. This image, therefore, is not just a portrayal of a landscape but also a reflection of our own enduring spirit.