Schets met bomen 1867 - 1923

This small drawing with trees was made by George Hendrik Breitner, and is now at the Rijksmuseum. Here, we find the stark image of trees – symbols of life and nature – rendered with a raw, almost primal energy, harking back to ancient totemic representations where trees were revered as sacred entities, embodiments of ancestral spirits, and connections between the earthly and spiritual realms. This image of trees stripped bare might remind one of the ‘axis mundi,’ the world tree that connects the heavens and earth. Yet, here, the tree seems isolated, perhaps wounded. It evokes a sense of melancholy, a meditation on the transient nature of existence. Think of similar motifs from different times and places: from ancient Mesopotamian reliefs depicting sacred groves to the desolate trees in Edvard Munch's paintings. The tree motif persists, yet it’s not a linear progression. Like a recurring dream, it resurfaces, bearing the weight of human emotions, of collective memory, reminding us of our profound connection to nature.