Several Peasant Huts in a Woods c. 1660

Roelof van Vries painted "Several Peasant Huts in a Woods" in the 17th century with oil on wood. The painting evokes an image of simple, rural life, a return to nature, where man and nature coexist. Consider the motif of the forest, which is a central element in the painting. Throughout history, the forest has appeared in numerous narratives from different cultures. The forest can be read as a powerful, chaotic, subconscious realm, a space of mystery and danger, but also of freedom and transformation. The contrast of light and dark intensifies our feeling of the sublime. This contrast has been a familiar tool in art history, and can be seen in earlier religious paintings to depict the dichotomy between good and evil. Even in this seemingly innocuous scene, the dance of light and shadow resonates with those primeval archetypes of danger and salvation. Thus, van Vries subtly weaves together cultural threads, inviting us to contemplate not only the scene before us, but also the echoes of collective memory embedded within.