Bomen 1862 - 1864

Johannes Tavenraat created this sketch of trees with ink on paper in the 19th century. Here, the trees, sketched with such deliberate simplicity, are more than mere foliage; they are silent witnesses to the passage of time. The tree has always been a symbol of life, growth, and interconnectedness. In ancient mythologies, trees were sacred, embodying the axis mundi, the center of the world. We find echoes of this reverence in countless cultures. Consider the Norse Yggdrasil, or the Tree of Knowledge in Judeo-Christian tradition. The solitary tree is a symbol of introspection. From the Romantic poets to Van Gogh, artists have projected human emotions onto these arboreal figures, infusing them with a profound sense of melancholy, resilience, or spiritual awakening. Like the ancient symbols, the trees have non-linear progression through time, appearing as a single motif resurfacing, evolving, and taking on new meanings.