Twee groene vogels op bloesemtak 1892

Imao Keinen created this print, “Two Green Birds on Blossoming Branch,” with ink and color on paper. Consider the birds: throughout history, birds have been potent symbols of the soul, freedom, and transcendence. Their ability to traverse the earthly and aerial realms makes them messengers between worlds. The blossoming branch, a motif resonating across cultures, symbolizes renewal, ephemeral beauty, and the cyclical nature of life. These symbols echo through time, appearing in ancient Egyptian art, where birds carried souls to the afterlife, or in Renaissance paintings where a flowering branch represents the Virgin Mary's purity and the promise of rebirth. Like the ouroboros—the snake that eats its own tail—this composition suggests a continuum where life and death, past and future, perpetually intertwine. This image engages our subconscious, stirring a deep-seated recognition of life's transient beauty and the eternal return, tapping into the collective memory of hope and regeneration.