Landschap met dorp bij een rivier 1895

Simon Moulijn created this landscape with village near a river in 1895, with etching. The spire of the church dominates the village; a beacon of faith and community. Consider the grouping of trees that frame the river, the repetition of vertical forms reminiscent of ancient sacred groves. In classical antiquity, groves were the site of rituals and contemplation, places where the human world met the divine. The trees act as silent witnesses across time. We see a recurrence of these forms in works like Böcklin’s “Sacred Grove”. This etching evokes a dream-like quality, engaging our collective memory. In the quiet stillness, we find a deep connection to the earth, as the village seems to emerge organically from the landscape. The landscape is a repository of shared human experiences, resonating with an emotional power that transcends time. This cyclical progression shows how symbols like these evolve, resurface, and take on new meanings, embedding in our cultural consciousness.