Paris seen from the Seine at nigh 1893

Maximilien Luce captured "Paris Seen from the Seine at Night" with oil on canvas, immortalizing a timeless Parisian scene. The Seine, a serpentine artery, cuts through the heart of Paris, reflecting the city's glow. Bridges, like ancient Roman aqueducts, symbolize connection. Consider the tree in the foreground, its branches a mirror of the river's veins. Trees, as symbols, are not new. They go back to the 'Tree of Life' in ancient mythologies, and the 'Axis Mundi', the world's central point. The tree, here, looms large—a silent witness to the city's ceaseless transformations. From the sacred groves of antiquity to modern urban parks, trees connect us to nature and to our past. The image evokes a sense of 'Sehnsucht', a longing for something indefinable, a connection to the infinite. As we navigate through history, these symbols echo and transform, carrying the weight of human experience across time.