Gezicht door een kloof nabij Emmetten 1860 - 1900

This lithograph by Heinrich Zollinger captures a view through a ravine near Emmetten. Here, the ravine acts as a powerful symbol. Ravines and gorges, as both physical and symbolic spaces, often signify a transition or passage, a descent into the unknown or a place of hidden truths. The Romantic era, steeped in the sublime, embraced the ravine as a place where one could confront the raw power of nature. This recalls Caspar David Friedrich's landscapes, where figures stand at the edge of precipices, contemplating their existence within the vast, indifferent cosmos. The ravine, in its depths, touches upon our collective memory, echoing the descents into the underworld in ancient myths or the dark forests of fairy tales. It speaks to a psychological journey inward, stirring subconscious reflections on mortality and the search for meaning. This symbolic return continues to resonate.